Las Vegas, Nevada – STRIKEFORCE® welterweight champion and seasoned UFC® veteran Nate Marquardt will defend his title against current number one contender Tarec Saffiedine on Saturday, Jan. 12 as STRIKEFORCE® visits Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. In the night’s co-main event, Oklahoma State University All-American wrestler and STRIKEFORCE Grand Prix heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier takes on kickboxing veteran Dion Staring. The event will air live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) as part of the premium network’s Free Preview Weekend whereby more than 80 million households nationwide will have access to SHOWTIME, SHOWTIME HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND and more.

This will mark the final STRIKEFORCE event on SHOWTIME.

“Since 2009, SHOWTIME has been a great partner and we appreciate its support of STRIKEFORCE and our athletes,” Scott Coker, STRIKEFORCE CEO, said. “For our final event, we’ve loaded the card with some outstanding fights. This is going to be a memorable night for the sport of mixed martial arts.”

“We are proud of our association with Scott Coker and the entire STRIKEFORCE team,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “From Gina Carano to Ronda Rousey, Fedor Emelianenko to Daniel Cormier, Nick Diaz to Gilbert Melendez, SHOWTIME Sports and STRIKEFORCE have built some of the biggest stars in the sport and have produced many of the most watched and most intriguing fights in the history of MMA. We look forward to another night of competitive and explosive STRIKEFORCE fights on SHOWTIME on January 12 in OKC.”

In addition to the main and co-main events, STRIKEFORCE® will also feature the following matchups that include several past champions and many of the sports top prospects:

· Former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett meets Austrian powerhouse Nandor Guelmino

· Former light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi takes on the heavy-handed Mike Kyle

· Former middleweight champ “Jacare” Souza faces UFC star Ed Herman

· Top lightweight contender Pat Healy will be in action against an opponent yet to be determined

· Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Roger Gracie takes on talented striker Anthony Smith at middleweight

· U.S. Army Ranger Tim Kennedy vs. Trevor Smith in a fight involving top middleweights

· Elite kickboxer KJ Noons meets second-generation star Ryan Couture in a lightweight matchup

· Cincinnati’s Jorge Gurgel is set to battle Brazilian prospect Adriano Martins at lightweight

· At lightweight, winner of four straight Estevan Payan vs. Team Alpha Male’s Michael Bravo

STRIKEFORCE® will air live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), while preliminary fights will be shown live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 8 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on West Coast). Additional fights scheduled for the event are expected to be released shortly.

Tickets for STRIKEFORCE® are on sale now and are priced at $150, $100, $70 and $50. Tickets are available at the Chesapeake Energy Arena box office, all Ticketmaster locations, at Ticketmaster.com or 1-800-745-3000. Applicable service charges may apply.

For more information or the latest STRIKEFORCE news, visit www.strikeforce.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

About STRIKEFORCE® – www.strikeforce.com

Owned and operated by Forza, LLC, a subsidiary of Zuffa, LLC, which also owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship® brand, STRIKEFORCE® is a world-class mixed martial arts promotion based in Las Vegas, Nev. that currently holds live events annually across the United States. First established as a mixed martial arts entity in 2006, STRIKEFORCE now broadcasts its events live on SHOWTIME® and has produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television Network. With a growing roster featuring the world’s elite competitors, STRIKEFORCE has cemented its place as a leader in providing quality mixed martial arts action.

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

Chesapeake Energy Arena:
Chesapeake Energy Arena is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2012 and recently completed a more than $90 million renovation that included a new grand entrance and other significant upgrades. The arena is managed by SMG, which since 1977 has provided management services to more than 220 public assembly facilities including arenas, stadiums, theatres and performing arts centers, equestrian facilities and convention, congress and exhibition cen­ters.

opportunity of a lifetime after being brought in to the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam event as a replacement for an injured Fabiano ‘Cyclone’ Aoki, and will take on superstar Daniel Ghita (44-7-0, 34 KO’s) in the opening round of the one-night, 16-man elimination tournament at Saitama Super Arena on New Year’s Eve.

The switch was confirmed by Glory Sports International yesterday following Cyclone’s withdrawal from the event due to a torn ligament sustained in his left knee during a recent sparring practice with fellow Japanese heavyweight Koichi. Cyclone did not want to withdraw from the tournament, but doctors told him it would not be feasible for him to attempt to fight with such an injury.

“Naturally we are disappointed to see Fabiano Cyclone withdraw from this tournament. He has a crowd-pleasing style and we were looking forward to seeing him perform in front of his home fans. Such injuries are sometimes a side-effect of the hard training these fighters go through and we wish him a speedy recovery,” says Glory Sports International CEO Marcus Luer.

“His replacement is Jhonata Diniz, a young fighter from the famous fighting Brazilian city of Curitiba. He exemplifies that city’s infamously aggressive martial arts style and, from what we saw of his organization debut at GLORY 2 Brussels earlier this year, I think it’s safe to say that the crowd will definitely be entertained by what he brings to the ring.

“He’s facing Ghita first, and Ghita is second-favorite to win the tournament. It’s a tall order, but Diniz didn’t hesitate to accept; he says is very much looking forward to the challenge.”

Interestingly, Cyclone is half-Brazilian, with one of his parents coming from the same Brazilian city – Belem – that is home to the former UFC light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, who is also half-Japanese, half-Brazilian. So it is fitting that it is a Brazilian that has replaced him, albeit one from a different city.

Curitiba is well known in the martial arts world as being the home of the famed Chute Boxe team which dominated PRIDE FC and produced legendary names such as Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua.

Diniz came up through the Thai Boxe team, Chute Boxe’s main rival for dominance on the regional Muay Thai and kickboxing circuit. Curitiba teams seem to have developed a super-aggressive, almost reckless fighting style, either independently or as a response to each other continuously upping the ante. Diniz’s past fights confirm this, displaying at times almost a complete disregard for his own safety as he looks to finish his opponents.

He recently moved to the Netherlands to pursue his training and has been taken under the wing of the accomplished Cor Hemmers and his son Nicky Hemmers. According to the elder Hemmers, “Diniz is going to become a serious force to be reckoned with over the next few years and this tournament will be the start of that journey.”

Two other matches have also been confirmed for the GLORY event on New Year’s Eve. A 187 pound/85 kilogram match between Toshio Matsumoto (37-9-6,1NC, 30 KO’s) and Jason ‘Tyson’ Wilnis (18-2-1) forms one of the evening’s Superfights and sees the more experienced Matsumoto taking on a 22-year old who is nicknamed ‘Tyson’ for a reason. Wilnis – younger brother of fellow professional Jaffar – has been knocking all comers out on his way to the big show and will be looking to shine in Japan.

The second match sees 21-year old Mutsuki ‘Double Dragon’ Ebata putting his impressive 16-1-1 record on the line against Korean opponent Sang-Jae Kim at 117 pounds/53 kilograms.

‘GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special’ is a double-header mega-event which will provide a dynamite ending to the 2012 fighting calendar. The first half consists of the DREAM 18 mixed martial arts event while the latter half is the biggest stand-up fighting event in history. ‘GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam’ features 16 heavyweight strikers in a one-night elimination tournament to determine which of them is the best.

Among those participating in the heavyweight tournament are world No. 1 ranked Semmy Schilt (39-6, 18 KO’s), Remy Bonjasky (77-14, 40 KO’s), Peter Aerts (104-30-1, 78 KO’s), Gokhan Saki (77-15, 53 KO’s), Daniel Ghita (44-7, 34 KO’s), Errol Zimmerman (76-16-1, 41 KO’s), Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva (32-8-1, 22 KO’s) and Sergei Kharitonov (22-7, 12 KO’s).

The winner of the tournament will take home a Grand Prize of $400,000, and a total of $600,000 in prize money will be awarded to tournament participants.

Visit www.gloryworldseries.com for more information.

About GLORY:

The GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s premier martial arts stand-up fighting league, staging events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of 16-man ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man ‘Slam’ tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, plus a groundbreaking online video streaming system and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely-broadcast sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in Holland, the UK, Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Its personnel includes a diverse mix of award-winning hedge-fund and private equity investors; principals from pioneering sports marketing agency Total Sport Asia; and senior level executives from several leading sports franchises, including WWE, FIFA, Golden Glory, Champions League and It’s Showtime.

Las Vegas, Nevada – Fresh off unifying the welterweight title in November following an 18-month absence due to injury, UFC® welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre returns to Montreal’s Bell Centre on March 16, 2013 to face former STRIKEFORCE® champion Nick Diaz. St-Pierre (23-2) has scored 10 consecutive victories in his dominant reign atop the 170-pound division but no other opponent has motivated him as much as the fiery and unpredictable Diaz.

“Georges St-Pierre asked to fight Nick Diaz because he knows they have unfinished business, and Nick Diaz agrees,” UFC President Dana White said.

The always-diplomatic St-Pierre, 31, has defeated the likes of Carlos Condit, Matt Hughes (twice), Jon Fitch, BJ Penn (twice), Josh Koscheck (twice) and Jake Shields, but no other opponent has fueled him as much as the southpaw from Stockton, Calif. The pair was originally slated to meet at UFC® 137 but a series of events, including a St-Pierre knee injury, prevented the match up from ever taking place.

“There’s been a lot of talk about who I should fight next but this was really the only choice for me,” said St-Pierre. “He’s made it personal and I personally can’t wait.”

During his reign as STRIKEFORCE® welterweight champion, Nick Diaz defeated archrival KJ Noons and finished both Evangelista Santos and Paul Daley en route to becoming the organization’s best 170-pound fighter. He’s since returned to the UFC® with an impressive win over former two-time champion BJ Penn before an interim title loss to Carlos Condit and a year-long disciplinary suspension. Diaz now, though, gets the fight he’s so eagerly awaited.

“This is the fight I want,” Diaz said. “I want to go out there and beat Georges St-Pierre in Montreal and show that I’m the best welterweight in the world.”

In addition to St-Pierre-Diaz, four more of the UFC®’s top-10 welterweights will clash at the Bell Centre while one fighter gets a shot at redemption following a controversial disqualification loss at the same venue just four months removed.

With his recent dominating win over legend BJ Penn, Rory MacDonald (14-1) looks to avenge his only career loss against former interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit (28-6). The pair met at UFC® 115 in a bout that saw Condit come from behind and register a third-round TKO win with mere seconds remaining.

Not to be overshadowed, title-hungry Johny Hendricks (14-1), coming off his recent Montreal knockout win over welterweight Martin Kampmann, will be looking to cement his place as number one contender as he meets the always-dangerous Jake Ellenberger (28-6).

Tickets for UFC® 158: ST-PIERRE vs. DIAZ go on sale to the general public Saturday, January 19 at 10 a.m. ET. More information regarding the UFC® 158 on-sale, ticket prices and the fight card will be announced next month. For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries and territories, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 30 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

Las Vegas, Nevada – History will be made on Saturday, Feb. 23 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., as the Ultimate Fighting Championship® will present its first women’s bout featuring UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey defending her title against top contender Liz Carmouche.

Rousey, a former Olympian and native of Southern California, is unbeaten in her pro career at 6-0, with all of her wins coming by way of submission. In her first UFC title defense she’ll meet Carmouche, a 28-year-old U.S. Marine from San Diego who has built a reputation for her power and grit.

“Ronda is the real deal,” UFC President Dana White said. “She’s nasty. She’s mean. She’s like Chuck Liddell. She goes out there and tries to finish her opponents. And Carmouche is tough as nails, too. She was a Marine and she’s got great ground-and-pound. I look forward to having the women join the UFC.”

In addition to Rousey-Carmouche, former world champions Dan Henderson and Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida will collide with the winner likely to earn a light heavyweight title shot. Henderson, a former PRIDE® and Strikeforce® champion, last defeated Maurico “Shogun” Rua in what many consider to the best fight of 2011. Meanwhile, former UFC light heavyweight champion Machida knocked out Ryan Bader in August and now has his sights set on a battle with “Hendo.”

Also on the card is an exciting bantamweight contest between former WEC champion “The California Kid” Urijah Faber and Ivan Menjivar. The two fought in 2006, with Faber scoring a disqualification victory. Now the two meet again with a chance to propel themselves into title contention at 135 pounds.

Tickets for UFC®157: ROUSEY vs. CARMOUCHE go on sale Friday, Dec. 21 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $350, $250, $150, $100, $75 and $50. Fans can purchase tickets at www.ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster retail locations and by phone at (800) 745-3000. Tickets will be available at the Honda Center Box Office beginning Saturday, December 22. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 10 a.m. PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Dec. 20, starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this pre-sale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC®157: ROUSEY vs. CARMOUCHE will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.

For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries and territories, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 30 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

TOKYO, Japan (Dec. 13, 2012) – World No. 2 ranked lightweight (154 pounds/70 kilograms) Robin van Roosmalen (37-14-3, 12 KO’s) has been confirmed for a Superfight with colorful Japanese fighter Yuichiro Nagashima (17-5, 12 KO’s) at the GLORY 4 TOKYO – Heavyweight Grand Slam event at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan on New Year’s Eve.

Also confirmed is a heavyweight showdown between the legendary ‘Battle Cyborg’ Jerome Le Banner (72-21-2, 58 KO’s) and Japanese Kyokushin Karate stylist Koichi Pettas (26-7-1, 15 KO’s). The three-round battle pits the heavy hands and raw power of Le Banner against the hard-kicking technicality of Pettas and should provide for an exhilarating match.

“GLORY is home to the world’s top stand-up fighters and these two fights showcase that perfectly. In the first we have the world’s No. 2 lightweight fighter, who smashed his way through our ‘Final 8’ tournament earlier this year and fought the world’s No. 1 ranked lightweight Giorgio Petroysan in a thrilling final,” says Glory Sports International CEO Marcus Luer.

“Nagashima is known the world over for his flamboyant ring entrances. He likes to put on a show but he also has the fighting skills to match. He prefers the kicking game while van Roosmalen likes to use his hands, so it’s going to be an interesting clash of styles in this fight.

“As for the heavyweights, Le Banner is an icon to fight fans all around the world. He is up there with Peter Aerts, Semmy Schilt and Remy Bonjasky as a legend of the sport. Some of the biggest KO’s in the history of the sport have been at Le Banner’s hands and he will be looking to stage another one for his fans on New Year’s Eve.

“He is facing a hometown hero, though and Koichi is not an easy man to put away. He made his GLORY debut earlier this year with a huge KO of American veteran Mark Miller and his Kyokushin style means he puts a lot of damage on his opponents. Fighting him is a painful experience for anybody.”

In Japan, Le Banner is known as ‘The Battle Cyborg,’ thanks to a relentless ferocity and unbelievable toughness that at times makes him seem to be half-machine. Born in the tough docklands city of Le Havre, he has battled his way into the sport’s history books with huge KO’s and awe-inspiring displays of courage. He has wins over top names such as legend Ernesto Hoost, Tyrone Spong, Mark Hunt and Bonjasky.

Pettas, known simply as ‘Koichi,’ is one of the top heavyweight karate fighters on the planet and can trace his lineage directly to the founder of Kyokushin Karate, sensei Mas Oyama. The style was developed from traditional karate as an answer to Muay Thai, and it is considered to be one of the hardest fighting styles in the world today. Koichi proves that claim via 15 KO’s from his 26 wins.

Van Roosmalen comes from a family of boxers and one look at his fighting style is enough to see that the blood runs true. Packing fearsome power into his 154 pound/70 kilogram frame, van Roosmalen has a well-deserved reputation as a KO artist, and has a growing army of fans. His performance in the GLORY ‘Final 8’ tournament on Nov. 3 was spectacular and included a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate against Dzhabar Askerov.

Nagashima was a high-school student when he first saw a kickboxing tournament. He was immediately entranced, particularly by the superb technique of the Swiss karate fighter Andy Hug. Already a judo black belt, Nagashima at that point directed all his energies into the striking arts and determined to emulate his hero. He swore that he would always be an entertainer as well as a fighter, prompting the development of the flamboyant ring entrances which have graced television screens worldwide.

The GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam event will be headlined by a one-night, 16-man, single-elimination tournament featuring the world’s top heavyweight stand-up fighters, including Schilt (39-6, 18 KO’s), Bonjasky (77-14, 40 KO’s), Aerts (104-30-1, 78 KO’s), Gokhan Saki (77-15, 53 KO’s), Daniel Ghita (44-7, 34 KO’s), Errol Zimmerman (76-16-1, 41 KO’s), Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva (32-8-1, 22 KO’s) and Sergei Kharitonov (22-7, 12 KO’s).

The winner of the heavyweight tournament will take home a Grand Prize of $400,000, and a total of $600,000 in prize money will be awarded to tournament participants.

The GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam event represents one-half of the ‘GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special’ double-header fight card, which will begin at 4 p.m. JST with the DREAM 18 Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event.

For more information, visit www.gloryworldseries.com.

About GLORY:

The GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s premier kickboxing, or stand-up fighting league, staging events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of 16-man ‘Grand Prix’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, plus a groundbreaking online video streaming system and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely-broadcast sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in Holland, the UK, Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Its personnel includes a diverse mix of award-winning hedge-fund and private equity investors; principals from pioneering sports marketing agency Total Sport Asia; and senior level executives from several leading sports franchises, including WWE, FIFA, Golden Glory, Champions League and It’s Showtime.

TOKYO, Japan (Dec. 13, 2012) – Two of Japan’s top featherweights (145 pounds/66 kilograms) have been added to the DREAM 18 portion of the stacked, doubleheader fight card that Glory Sports International will present at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan on New Year’s Eve, immediately prior to the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam, one-night, 16-man tournament.

Tatsuya ‘Crusher’ Kawajiri (31-7-2) formerly the world’s No. 1 lightweight, is will enter the ring riding a four-fight win streak and face Judo specialist Michihiro Omigawa (13-12-1), who recently departed the UFC to return to fighting in his native Japan.

“Kawajiri has been one of the fighting world’s top talents ever since he first put on a pair of gloves. He is a very hard hitter and has given us many memorable performances in the ring. He also has a solid submission game and is capable of finishing a fight at any moment either by KO or forcing the tap,” says Glory Sports International CEO Marcus Luer.

“In Omigawa you have an extremely high level judo player with an arsenal of trips and throws that few in MMA can match. His sense of timing and balance is spectacular, a lifetime’s work, and watching him hit a trip at just the right moment is like watching a master artist at work. Kawajiri wants this fight on the feet, but he is going to have a hard time staying there if Omigawa gets his way.”

Kawajiri has been fighting for top level organizations throughout his career. He has competed for PRIDE FC, Strikeforce, DREAM and ONE FC, and has taken victories over former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson, Norwegian standout Joachim Hansen and current UFC lightweight Yves Edwards. Twenty-one of his thirty-one career wins have come inside the distance, twelve by KO or TKO and nine by submission.

Omigawa’s rise to prominence came after entering the 2009 Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix tournament as an underdog. He defeated LC Davis, Nam Phan and Marlon Sandro – all of whom were heavy favorites to win the tournament – and made it to the final. He lost a close split-decision but earned a lot of respect. Shortly afterwards he signed with DREAM and was then picked up by the UFC where he impressed U.S. and U.K. audiences with his world-class judo skills.

In other DREAM 18 action on New Year’s Eve, former DREAM lightweight (155 pounds/70 kilograms) champion Shinya Aoki (31-6) will face battle-tested wrestling specialist Antonio McKee (28-4-2). Heavy hitters Melvin Manhoef (26-9-1, 1 NC) and Denis Kang (35-15-2, 2 NC) will face off at middleweight (185 pounds/84 kilograms) and former DREAM bantamweight (135 pounds/61 kilograms) champion Bibiano Fernandes (12-3) will square off with Yoshiro Maeda (30-11-2) in a 139-pound/61-kilogram catchweight contest.

All-time great Hayato ‘Mach’ Sakurai (38-12-2) will meet hard-hitting brawler ‘New York Bad Ass’ Phil Baroni (15-15) in a welterweight (170 pounds/77 kilograms) affair. DREAM Featherweight Champion Hiroyuki Takaya (17-9-1) will collide with standout Georgi Karakhanyan (19-3-1) and Satoru Kitaoka (30-11-9) will battle undefeated rising star Will ‘Ill Will’ Brooks (7-0) at lightweight.

The ‘GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special’ double-header event will commence at 4 p.m. JST with the DREAM 18 card and continue with the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam tournament featuring the world’s top heavyweight stand-up fighters, including world No. 1 ranked Semmy Schilt (39-6, 18 KO’s), Gokhan Saki (77-15, 53 KO’s), Daniel Ghita (44-7, 34 KO’s), Remy Bonjasky (77-14, 40 KO’s), Peter Aerts (104-30-1, 78 KO’s), Errol Zimmerman (76-16-1, 41 KO’s), Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva (32-8-1, 22 KO’s) and Sergei Kharitonov (22-7, 12 KO’s).

The winner of the heavyweight tournament will take home a Grand Prize of $400,000, and a total of $600,000 in prize money will be awarded to tournament participants.

For more information, visit www.gloryworldseries.com.

About GLORY:

The GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s premier kickboxing, or stand-up fighting league, staging events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of 16-man ‘Grand Prix’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, plus a groundbreaking online video streaming system and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely-broadcast sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in Holland, the UK, Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Its personnel includes a diverse mix of award-winning hedge-fund and private equity investors; principals from pioneering sports marketing agency Total Sport Asia; and senior level executives from several leading sports franchises, including WWE, FIFA, Golden Glory, Champions League and It’s Showtime.

About DREAM:

Japan’s premier MMA organisation, DREAM has staged 23 top-class events in the course of its four-year history. Fighters that have stepped into the DREAM ring include Fedor Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Shinya Aoki, Joachim Hansen, Melvin Manhoef, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Eddie Alvarez, Todd Duffee, Gesias Calvancante, Marius Zaromskis.

Las Vegas, Nevada – In anticipation of UFC® 155: DOS SANTOS vs. VELASQUEZ 2, MetroPCS will host a live fan chat in both English and Spanish with former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Participants are invited to submit questions on the MetroPCS’ Va Conmigo Facebook page leading up to or during the chat. Velasquez, who is a member of UFC’s #TeamMetro, will discuss his long-awaited rematch with UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.

UFC® 155: DOS SANTOS vs. VELASQUEZ 2 will be available live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on December 29 on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada.

WHAT: MetroPCS UFC Live Facebook Chat

WHO: Cain Velasquez, Former UFC heavyweight champion

WHEN: Thursday, December 13, 2012

6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET

WHERE: MetroPCS’ Va Conmigo Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MetroPCSVaConmigo/app_196506863720166)

For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com.

About MetroPCS Communications, Inc.

Dallas-based MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (NYSE: PCS) is a provider of no annual contract, unlimited wireless communications service for a flat rate. MetroPCS is the fifth largest facilities-based wireless carrier in the United States based on number of subscribers served. With Metro USA(SM), MetroPCS customers can use their service in areas throughout the United States covering a population of over 280 million people. As of June 30, 2012, MetroPCS had approximately 9.3 million subscribers. For more information please visit www.metropcs.com.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, and with offices in London, England, Toronto, Canada and Beijing, China, UFC® produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world.In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which airs on FX. In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 30 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed UFC magazine, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel, trading cards, and JAKKS Pacific articulated action figures.

Las Vegas, Nevada – Episode 12 – “Semifinal Showdown” – of The Ultimate Fighter® Fridays reality series aired Friday night on FX and featured this season’s semifinal matchups, teammate vs. teammate.

The first bout, featuring Team Nelson’s Jon Manley vs. Colton Smith, went to a third-round decision and ended with Smith as the victor after dominating the first two of third rounds. The second semifinal matchup saw Team Carwin teammates Mike Ricci and Neil Magny square off in the Octagon®. It appeared both men were evenly matched, but then, during the last minute of the first round, Ricci delivered the only knockout of the season, which left Magny briefly unconscious.

The two victors, Smith and Ricci, will now face off in the much-anticipated Finale on December 15th to decide who will win the lucrative contract with the UFC® and be named the next Ultimate Fighter.

Here’s what this season’s winning finalists had to say after their bouts:

Ricci: “I won the fight and I was excited, but I couldn’t help it, I broke down and I started crying. Because, the truth is, I would’ve rather win by a decision than to do that to him, cause it hurt. You have a teammate and you eat every night with them and you pray with them and you go for swims and you talk and you share things and then you do that to somebody…and it was hard for me. I know what it’s like to be Neil; I’ve been knocked out before. That feeling where you wake up and you don’t know what happened and all your dreams are shattered, all the opportunity you thought you had was gone. But if I didn’t do it to him, he would’ve done it to me, so I had no choice.”

Smith: “Feels great, I’m top two now. It’s been a long road; 4 weigh-ins, 4 fights, 4-0 in the house. I might not have been the best fighter, I might not have been the most skilled or the prettiest fighter, but I guarantee you, I’m the best fighter at the end of the day in the house.”

Here’s what UFC President Dana White and the two finalists had to say heading into the Finale:

Ricci: “I don’t think that Colton Smith can hang with me to be honest with you. I mean anything can happen, right? He’s a dangerous man, but if my A game is on, I’ll be able to stop Colton for sure.”

Smith: “Mike Ricci is a tough, tough dude. He has power in his hands, power in his kicks, elbows. He’s a very versatile fighter, but I’m going to go in there and I’m going to take his head off, I’m going to ground and pound, I’m going to look for the submission. He’ll break before I will, that’s guaranteed.”

White: “I think Ricci vs. Smith is going to be a good fight. These guys have consistently fought well, they won, and I think we ended up with the two best guys here, I really do.”

After 12 weeks of non-stop action and 30 fights, it all comes down to this moment.

Tickets for The Ultimate Fighter Finale on Dec. 15 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas are on sale and priced at $304, $254, $179, $154, $104 and $79. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the Hard Rock Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com, www.thejointlasvegas.com or charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000.

Results after episode 12:

Team Carwin (7-7)

Sam Alvey (0-1, lost to Joey Rivera by decision in episode 3)

Bristol Marunde (1-1, defeated Julian Lane by decision in episode 4, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 10)

Mike Ricci (3-0, defeated Dom Waters by decision in episode 9, defeated Mike Ricci by decision in episode 11, defeated Neil Magny by knockout in episode 12)

Neil Magny (2-1, defeated Cameron Diffley by decision in episode 2, defeated Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 10, lost via knockout to Mike Ricci in episode 12)

James Chaney (0-1, submitted by Jon Manley in episode 8)

Eddy Ellis (0-1, lost to Colton Smith by majority decision in epsiode 6)

Igor Araujo (1-1, defeated Nic Herron-Webb by majority decision in episode 5, lost to Colton Smith by decision in episode 10)

Matt Secor (0-1, lost to Michael Hill by split decision in episode 7)

Team Nelson (7-7)

Dom Waters (0-1, lost to Mike Ricci by decision in episode 9)

Michael Hill (1-1, defeated Matt Secor by split decision in episode 7, lost to Mike Ricci by decision in episode 11)

Cameron Diffley (0-1, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 2)

Colton Smith (3-0, defeated Eddy Ellis by majority decision in episode 6, defeated Igor Araujo by decision in episode 10, defeated Jon Manley by decision in episode 12)

Jon Manley (2-1, submitted James Chaney is episode 8, defeated Joey Rivera by decision in episode 11, lost to Colton Smith by decision in episode 12)

Nic Herron-Webb (0-1, lost to Igor Araujo by majority decision in episode 5)

Joey Rivera (1-1, defeated Sam Alvey by decision in episode 3, lost to Jon Manley by decision in episode 11)

Julian Lane (0-1, lost to Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 4)

A full recap is available at ufc.com.

For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter under our new name @TUFonFX or on Facebook.com/TUG

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series including Sons of Anarchy, Justified and American Horror Story, and acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer and Wilfred. Its library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. The network’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with college football and the UFC.

LINCOLN, R.I. (Dec. 7, 2012) – Former Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) veteran Chuck O’Neil moved one step closer to returning to the big stage Friday night and halted Keith Jeffrey’s momentum with a 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 unanimous decision win in the main event of Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports’ “Battle Tested” mixed martial events at Twin River Casino.

O’Neil (10-5) took control of the fight in the third and final round with a critical takedown, subsequently preventing Jeffrey (8-3-1) from unleashing his overhand rights, which, at that point, had been his most dangerous weapon.

Jeffrey, a Pawtucket, R.I., native, entered the fight having won each of his last three bouts since returning from a knee injury in 2011, but O’Neil’s takedown and poise on the ground in the final round turned out to be the difference. O’Neil, a former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter reality show, has now won two of his last three fights while Jeffrey suffered his first loss since 2010.

One of the most impressive wins of the night belonged to Providence’s Luis Felix (9-6), who submitted Ludlow, Mass., lightweight Jeremy Ross (6-4) just 1:21 seconds into the opening round via guillotine choke. The win was Lewis’ fourth in a row and first since October when he defeated former Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) veteran Marc Stevens in October.

Coming off back-to-back losses, Pawtucket, R.I., middleweight Todd Chattelle (11-8) also made quick work of his opponent, using the guillotine choke to submit veteran Robby Roberts (8-15) of Orange, Mass., at the 1:35 mark of the opening round. Chattelle had lost both of his fights in 2012 prior to Friday’s victory after finishing 2011 with a perfect 4-0 record.

Salem, Mass., bantamweight Matt Doherty (1-0, 1 KO) started the night with a victory in his professional debut, stopping Terin Swanson (2-2) at the 1:54 mark of the second round with a series of unanswered blows. Swanson got off to a strong start with his ground game in the opening round, but Doherty answered the call in the second round and utilized his superior stand-up game to make quick work of Swanson, who had won his last two bouts entering Friday.

In the middleweight division, newcomer Joe Palazio (1-0) of Providence bounced back from a slow start and defeated Joe Cronin (2-0) of Mansfield, Mass., via submission with a guillotine choke at the 2:27 mark of the opening round. Cronin looked sharp early, but Palazio turned the tide with a short left hook and then finished Cronin with the guillotine for his first career win.

Chris Foster (6-2) of Middletown, Conn., and Thane Stimson (2-2) of nearby Canterbury went the distance in their featherweight bout with Foster hanging on for a 28-29, 29-28, 29-28 split decision win. Foster controlled the bout early, using a flurry of lefts and right to bloody Stimson’s face in the opening round, but Stimson regained control in the second round with his ground game. The third round went back and forth until Foster sealed it with a well-timed takedown in the closing seconds for a victory in his first fight in more than a year and a half.

Dinis Paiva of East Providence, R.I., evened his record at 3-3 in the bantamweight division with a hard-fought 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 unanimous decision win over Ithica, N.Y., native Josh Lange (1-1). In a tough fight to score, Paiva controlled the action on the ground to escape with the decision. Heavyweight Pat Walsh (2-0) of West Bridgewater, Mass., made quick work of Providence’s Eric Bedard (3-2), submitting his opponent via Kimura just 51 seconds into the opening round.

In one of the most highly-anticipated bouts of the evening, Boston lightweight Lucas Cruz (6-0) kept his perfect record intact by out-working and out-hustling previously-unbeaten Andres Jeudi (5-1) to score a unanimous, yet close, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 win. Both fighters traded blows throughout the fight, with Jeudi’s exceptional takedown defense frustrating Cruz at times, but Cruz sealed the win with a critical takedown in the closing minutes of the third round, preventing Jeudi from utilizing his stand-up game.

TOKYO, Japan (Dec. 7, 2012) – DREAM Lightweight (155 pounds/70 kilograms) Champion Shinya Aoki (31-6) will face battle-tested wrestling specialist Antonio McKee (28-4-2) at the DREAM Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event at Saitama Super Arena on New Year’s Eve.

The matchup was announced today by officials from DREAM and Glory Sports International, which is presenting the year-end show along with the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam event.

Also announced was a middleweight (185 pounds/84 kilograms) fight between Melvin Manhoef (26-9-1, 1 NC) and Denis Kang (35-15-2, 2 NC) and a 139-pound catchweight meeting between former DREAM bantamweight (135 pounds/61 kilograms) champion Bibiano Fernandes (12-3) and Yoshiro Maeda (30-11-2) of Japan.

“Shinya Aoki is already a legend in mixed martial arts. His jiu jitsu and judo skills are just incredible and we are delighted to have him on the card for DREAM 18. The Saitama Super Arena is his home and the greatest matches of his career have been fought there. We expect another epic encounter on New Year’s Eve when he faces UFC veteran Antonio McKee,” said GLORY CEO Marcus Luer.

“With Melvin Manhoef and Denis Kang, we have a fight where the fans cannot afford to blink – there is so much power and skill in that fight that it is very, very unlikely to go the distance. And the fight between Bibiano Fernandes and Yoshiro Maeda will be a whirlwind, technical master class. Fernandes is one of the world’s top ten bantamweights while Maeda is as tough as they come. All the DREAM 18 fights are absolutely world class and we are very excited about them.”

Known as Tobikan Judan (‘Master of Flying Attacks’), Aoki is a grappling prodigy. An incredible 20 of his 31 career wins have been by way of submission and his victories include wins over Rich Clementi, Joachim Hansen and Eddie Alvarez. He has a ruthless killer instinct, exemplified by his breaking the arm of Mizuto Hirota at a 2009 New Year’s Eve event in the Saitama Super Arena.

McKee has fought for the UFC, the IFL and top Canadian promotion MFC in a career spanning 12 years. Only four fighters have ever managed to beat him, and three of those – Karo Parisyan, Jacob Volkmann and Chris Brennan – have also competed amongst the upper echelon of fighters in the UFC and PRIDE FC. McKee was set to fight Aoki at DREAM: Fight for Japan last May, but the bout fell through because of visa issues.

The Dutch dynamo Manhoef needs little introduction to fight fans in Japan or anywhere else. A huge fan favorite, Manhoef’s power and highly aggressive style combine to ensure that his fights rarely go the distance. He is one of only two men to ever stop Mark Hunt with strikes and he also has a win over Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba.

French-Korean middleweight Kang won a ‘Fight of the Night’ award for his clash with Michael Bisping in the UFC. A second-degree Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, Kang’s honors include being a finalist in the PRIDE FC Welterweight Grand Prix and winning a title in leading Korean promotion Spirit MC. He has wins over Murilo ‘Ninja’ Rua and Akihiro Gono.

Fernandes won the 2009 DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix to become the organization’s first featherweight champion. After losing the belt to Hiroyuki Takaya, he moved down to bantamweight and won the DREAM Bantamweight Grand Prix.

Maeda has competed for many of the best organizations in the world, including PRIDE FC, DREAM, WEC, Pancrase and DEEP. He fought for the WEC bantamweight title against Miguel Torres at WEC 34 and holds wins over Chase Beebe and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert Micah Miller among others. He was also a quarter-finalist in the DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix.

‘GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special’ – will commence at 4 p.m. JST with the DREAM 18 card and continue with the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam, a one-night, 16-man, single-elimination tournament featuring the world’s top heavyweight stand-up fighters, including Semmy Schilt (39-6, 18 KO’s), Gokhan Saki (77-15, 53 KO’s), Daniel Ghita (44-7, 34 KO’s), Remy Bonjasky (77-14, 40 KO’s), Peter Aerts (104-30-1, 78 KO’s), Errol Zimmerman (76-16-1, 41 KO’s), Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva (32-8-1, 22 KO’s) and Sergei Kharitonov (22-7, 12 KO’s).

The winner of the heavyweight tournament will take home a Grand Prize of $400,000, and a total of $600,000 in prize money will be awarded to tournament participants.

For more information, visit www.gloryworldseries.com.

About DREAM:

Japan’s premier MMA organisation, DREAM has staged 23 top-class events in the course of its four-year history. Fighters that have stepped into the DREAM ring include Fedor Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Shinya Aoki, Joachim Hansen, Melvin Manhoef, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Eddie Alvarez, Todd Duffee, Gesias Calvancante, Marius Zaromskis.

About GLORY:

The GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s premier kickboxing, or stand-up fighting league, staging events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of 16-man ‘Grand Prix’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, plus a groundbreaking online video streaming system and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely-broadcast sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in Holland, the UK, Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Its personnel includes a diverse mix of award-winning hedge-fund and private equity investors; principals from pioneering sports marketing agency Total Sport Asia; and senior level executives from several leading sports franchises, including WWE, FIFA, Golden Glory, Champions League and It’s Showtime.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Dec. 3, 2012) – Power puncher Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (4-2-1) of Pleasant Hill, Calif. will square off with submission specialist Raquel “Rocky” Pennington (3-2-1) of Colorado Springs, Colo. in a bantamweight (135 pounds) main card fight at the star-studded 12-bout Invicta Fighting Championships professional women’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event at Memorial Hall in Kansas City on Saturday, Jan. 5.

“Leslie and Raquel have both proven to be ferocious and determined competitors in the Invicta FC cage, so we are excited to be able to match them up against each other and create what should be a barnburner of a fight,” said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp.

The 30-year-old Smith performed brilliantly in her last start at Invicta FC 3 at Memorial Hall on Oct. 6, scoring a furious TKO on rival Kaitlin Young with an onslaught of punches from mount position in the second round (2:19) of action. The bout marked a rematch to the pair’s epic, three-round slugfest, which ended in a draw at the inaugural Invicta FC event on April 28.

Smith, who turned professional in March 2009 after compiling a perfect 3-0 record as an amateur, has earned three of her four victories as a pro by way of TKO with her hands. She is product of the Cesar Gracie Academy.

The 24-year-old Pennington, who has competed five times since turning professional just nine months ago, is looking to return to the win column after struggling with undefeated Cat Zingano in an Invicta FC 3 main card matchup that saw Zingano submit Pennington with a rear-naked choke in the second round (3:32).

Prior to the defeat, Pennington had reeled off two straight wins – a unanimous decision over Sarah Moras at Invicta FC 2 at Memorial Hall on July 28 and first round (3:52) submission (guillotine choke) of Raquel Pa’aluhi in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sept. 8.

Pennington amassed a stellar 7-1 record under amateur status between Feb. 2009 and Aug. 2011. She earned five of her seven amateur victories by way of submission.

Tickets for Invicta FC 4: Gadelha vs. Esparza, priced from $25, are on sale at Memorial Hall box office (913-549-4853), online at Ticketmaster.com and InvictaFC.com and by phone at 800-745-3000.

In the main event and first-ever Invicta FC world strawweight (115 pounds) championship bout, Claudia Gadelha (9-0) of Mossoro, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil will face streaking star Carla Esparza (8-2) of Redondo Beach, Calif.
In the bantamweight co-main event, crowd-pleasing submission ace Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler (15-7) of Sioux Falls, S.D. will battle fellow top-ranked star Alexis Davis (12-5) of Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada.

Hard-hitting KO artist Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes (7-2) of Salvador Bahia, Brazil will take on submission specialist Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio (6-3) of San Jose, Calif. at bantamweight.

JEWELS star Hiroko Yamanaka (12-2) of Kisarazu, Japan will battle Invicta FC 3 winner Ediane Gomes (8-2) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in a featherweight (145 pounds) contest.

In the event’s opening main card bout, undefeated Joanne Calderwood (4-0) of Glasgow, Scotland will square off with Invicta FC newcomer Bec Hyatt (4-1) of Brisbane, Australia at strawweight.

After scoring her second consecutive, five-second KO on July 8, Veronica Rothenhausler (0-0) of Reno, Nev. will make her much-anticipated professional debut on the Invicta FC 4 undercard against fellow heavy-handed featherweight competitor Katalina Malungahu (2-1) of Las Vegas, Nev.

The six-bout preliminary card will be capped off with an atomweight (105 pounds) matchup between Stephanie Frausto (4-4) of Cincinnati, Ohio and Cassie Rodish (3-3) of Des Moines, Iowa.

Unbeaten Tamikka Brents (1-0) of Springfield, Illin. will take on Amanda Bell (0-0) of Medford, Ore. at featherweight.

Jodie Esquibel (2-0) of Albuquerque, N.M. and Liz McCarthy (1-0) of Tigard, Ore. will square off at atomweight.

Emily Kagan (2-0) of Albuquerque, N.M. will put her undefeated record on the line against Rose Namajunas (0-0) of Milwaukee, Wis. In a strawweight matchup.

Paige Van Zant (2-0) of Sparks, Nev. will face off with Tecia Torres (1-0) of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. at strawweight.

About Invicta Fighting Championships:

Invicta Fighting Championships (www.invictafc.com) is a world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp and sports aficionado Janet Martin, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible matchups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport.

Tacoma, WA (December 2nd, 2012) – Halquist Productions brought CageSport MMA back to the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma with 2 title fights and they did not disappoint. Anthony Hamilton was victorious in his bout against California native, Bill WIdler, while Tacoma fighter, Drew Brokenshire, defeated the CageSport featherweight champion, Julian Erosa.

CageSport XXII featured an all pro MMA card featuring 10 fights that had everything from a last second knockout to critical judge’s decisions.

“This was the best CageSport yet. Amazing fights to close out the year. Fans have a lot to be excited about next year when CageSport becomes even bigger,” said promoter, Brian Halquist about CageSport XXII.

In the heavyweight title fight between Redmond native, Anthony Hamilton, and Bill Widler, Hamilton wasted no time in taking the offense on his quest to take the vacant heavyweight title, previously held by Daniel Stewart. In his last fight, Hamilton knocked out his opponent 7 seconds into the fight. The method didn’t change much this time around either as right when the clock started ticking, Hamilton and Widler charged at each other and threw blow after blow. The fight went down to the ground where Hamilton had control and after some vicious ground and pound, the ref stopped the fight 38 seconds into the 1st round and declared Hamilton the winner via TKO.

Undoubtedly the fight of the night belonged to Drew Brokenshire vs. Julian Erosa with Erosa’s featherweight title on the line. Both fighters brought a huge fan base to the Emerald Queen as the crowd was on their feet for a full 25 minutes of the 5 round bout. Both fighters showed tremendous effort and skill throughout the fight. Erosa showed a good ability to defend and counter, while Brokenshire was the aggressor and continually connected on straight shots that looked to phase Erosa, but not enough to take him out. While fighting in the clinch, Brokenshire was able to use his knees to land body shots. At the start of the final round, Brokenshire raised his arms and had a huge portion of the showroom cheering him on. Knowing that the fight was close, Erosa and Brokenshire battled it out for the final 5 minutes and kept with the pace they showed throughout the entire fight. In the end, the judges all scored the fight 49-46 in favor of new featherweight champion, Drew Brokenshire.

Other fights include Charon Spain earning a victory over Chanti Johnson with a last second knockout kick. Craig Jackson improved to 5-2 after defeating the previously undefeated Harrison Bevens. Benny Vinson and debut fighter, RJ Murphy, grinded it out 3 rounds to a draw. Cory Vom Baur was too much for Will Comstock to handle as he earned a 2nd round TKO. Richard Foster landed a couple of knock down head kicks on his way to a victory over Damion Martindale. Travis Johnston and Josh Solis came out swinging and after taking the fight to the ground, Solis was able to land a 1st round armbar. Eduardo Torres and Manny Russell were able to win their professional debuts as well.

Halquist Productions will bring the Northwest’s most premier MMA promotion, CageSport back to the Emerald Queen Casino on February 16 for CageSport XXIII. Also on the schedule is Battle at the Boat 90, also at the Emerald Queen Casino on January 5th. More information on CageSport XXII and all other Halquist Production events can be found at halquistproductions.com

Chris Wheaton (1-2) vs. Emmanuel Russell (debut)

Emmanuel Russell (W) Unanimous Decision

Eduarado Torres (debut) vs. Austin Arnet (1-0)

Eduardo Torres(W) UD (29-28) (30-27) (29-28)

Travis Johnston (1-1) vs. Josh Solis (debut)

Josh Solis(W) 4:14 Round 1 Armbar

Richard Foster (2-0) vs. Damion Martindale (0-2)

Richard Foster(W) UD (29-27) (30-26) (30-27)

William Comstock (1-0) vs. Cory Vom Baur (4-2)

Cory Vom Baur(W) 3:53 Round 2 TKO ref stoppage

Benny Vinson (4-1) vs. RJ Murphy (1-1)

Draw (29-28) M (30-27) B (29-29)

Charon Spain (9-15) vs. Chanti Johnson (7-5)

Charon Spain(W) 4:54 Round 3 KO (head kick)

Craig Jackson (4-2) vs. Harrison Bevens (5-0)

Craig Jackson (W) 3:28 Round 2 Guillotine Choke

Julian Erosa (9-0) vs. Drew Brokenshire (7-3)

Drew Brokenshire(W) UD (49-46) (49-46) (49-46)

Bill Widler (5-3) vs. Anthony Hamilton (7-2)

Anthony Hamilton(W) 0:38 Round 1 TKO

Las Vegas, Nevada – Episode 11 – “Fight the Perfect Fight” – of The Ultimate Fighter® Fridays reality series aired Friday night on FX and featured the final pair of this season’s quarterfinal matchups.

First, after a tense two rounds between evenly matched combatants, Jon Manley took a majority decision over Team Carwin teammate Joey Rivera. Then, things heated up as former friends turned rivals Mike Ricci and Michael Hill entered the Octagon® to finally settle their dispute. And, after pressing the action in both rounds, Ricci nabbed the win via unanimous decision.

Finally, UFC® president Dana White rounded out the episode by announcing the semifinal matchups: teammates Jon Manley and Colton Smith will faceoff and Mike Ricci will take on Neil Magny. The two winners of these matchups will face off in the much-anticipated LIVE Finale on December 15 from The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Here’s what the fighters had to say after their bouts:

Manley: “I’m not very happy with my performance. I did very well in trying to win the fight, but I spar with the guy a lot, I wrestle with him a lot, so I was scared to really exchange with him because in practice he beats my ass.”

Rivera: “I’m a little upset at myself, upset because I didn’t perform the way I should’ve. No excuses, I didn’t step on the gas the way I should’ve and Jon Manley was the better man today.”

Ricci: “I knew he was going to be tough, I knew he was going to come to fight. This means a lot to me, it means everything to me at this point. There are people who believe in me; my family, my friends and my coaches, but a lot of people said I was too small to be in this tournament and I want to prove those people wrong.”

Hill: “It just wasn’t my day today. Ricci came out to fight, I just didn’t give it my all, I didn’t give it 110%. I just let him beat me up for two rounds.”

The final episode will air next week, on Dec. 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX (check local listings for Central and Mountain Time). Episode 12 – “Semifinal Showdown” – two semifinal fights determine which two men will move on to fight in the Finale for a coveted UFC contract.

Tickets for The Ultimate Fighter Finale on Dec. 15 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas are on sale and priced at $304, $254, $179, $154, $104 and $79. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the Hard Rock Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com, www.thejointlasvegas.com or charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000.

Results after episode 11:

Team Carwin (6-6)

Sam Alvey (0-1, lost to Joey Rivera by decision in episode 3)

Bristol Marunde (1-1, defeated Julian Lane by decision in episode 4, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 10)

Mike Ricci (2-0, defeated Dom Waters by decision in episode 9, defeated Mike Ricci by decision in episode 11)

Neil Magny (2-0, defeated Cameron Diffley by decision in episode 2, defeated Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 10)

James Chaney (0-1, submitted by Jon Manley in episode 8)

Eddy Ellis (0-1, lost to Colton Smith by majority decision in epsiode 6)

Igor Araujo (1-1, defeated Nic Herron-Webb by majority decision in episode 5, lost to Colton Smith by decision in episode 10)

Matt Secor (0-1, lost to Michael Hill by split decision in episode 7)

Team Nelson (6-6)

Dom Waters (0-1, lost to Mike Ricci by decision in episode 9)

Michael Hill (1-1, defeated Matt Secor by split decision in episode 7, lost to Mike Ricci by decision in episode 11)

Cameron Diffley (0-1, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 2)

Colton Smith (2-0, defeated Eddy Ellis by majority decision in episode 6, defeated Igor Araujo by decision in episode 10)

Jon Manley (2-0, submitted James Chaney is episode 8, defeated Joey Rivera by decision in episode 11)

Nic Herron-Webb (0-1, lost to Igor Araujo by majority decision in episode 5)

Joey Rivera (1-1, defeated Sam Alvey by decision in episode 3, lost to Jon Manley by decision in episode 11)

Julian Lane (0-1, lost to Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 4)

A full recap is available at ufc.com.

For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter under our new name @TUFonFX or on Facebook.com/TUG

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series including Sons of Anarchy, Justified and American Horror Story, and acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer and Wilfred. Its library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. The network’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with college football and the UFC.

Co-Main Event: CageSport Heavyweight Title

Anthony Hamilton – 265

Bill Widler – 241

Co-Main Event: CageSport Featherweight Title

Julian “Juicy” Erosa – 144.5

Drew Brokenshire – 145

Undercard:

Harrison Bevens – 156

Craig Jackson – 156

Contract Weight: 156 Lbs.

Chanti Johnson – 145

Charon Spain – 146.5

Contract Weight: 146 Lbs.

Manny Russell – 136

Chris Wheaton – 128

Contract Weight: 136 Lbs.

Travis Johnston – 156

Josh Solis – 156

Contract Weight: 156 Lbs.

Richard Foster – 235

Damion Martindale – 227

Contract Weight: Heavyweight

Austin Arnett – 146

Eduardo Torres – 143.5

Contract Weight: 146 Lbs.

Benny Vinson – 135.5

RJ Murphy – 134

Contract Weight: 136 Lbs.

Cory Vom Baur – 149.5

Will Comstock – 155.5

Contract Weight: 156

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (November 29, 2012) – There is a strong mixed martial arts connection, as well as future crossover implications, to the December 7th IBA and WBF light welterweight title fight between 12-time, three division world champion Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm (31-2-3, 9 KOs) and WIBA super featherweight champion Diana Prazak (11-1, 7 KOs), who will square-off in the 10-round main event on Fresquez Productions-presented “Fire And Ice” show at Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque.

Holm (31-2-3, 9 KOs) is the pound-for-pound Queen of Boxing whose victims among the world’s best women’s boxers, ranging from the 140 through 154-pound weight classes, include Ann Sophie Mathis, Christy Martin, Mary Jo Sanders, Mia St. John, Myriam Lamare, Jane Couch, Duda Yankovich and Chevelle Hallback (twice).

Holm also is an accomplished MMA fighter with a 2-0 (2 TKOs) record, both wins coming by way of kicks. Her lack of MMA fights is due to her concentration on boxing, which has been more lucrative and competitive. Holm’s head trainer in boxing, Mike Winkeljohn, is one of the head coaches at the famed Jackson’s/Winkeljohn Mixed Martial Arts Gym in Albuquerque. Team Jackson-Winkeljohn is recognized as one of the best in MMA, featuring UFC light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones, a training and sparring partner for Holm..

Prazak, a native of Australia, is trained by former world boxing and kick-boxing champion Lucia Rijker. One of Prazak’s training partners in Los Angeles is Strikeforce bantamweight champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey, who won a Bronze Medal in Judo at the 2008 Olympic Games. “I train with Ronda who walks around at 145 (lbs.),” Prazak explained why her move up in weight to fight Holm won’t be a problem for her. “She is a very powerful fighter and we are getting in some great sessions.”

Holm certainly isn’t looking past Prazak but her promoter, Lenny Fresquez, has to look to the future, ironically, and Holly may be heading towards a major MMA showdown in 2013. “Prazak is tough and we expect a very good fight,” Fresquez said. “Holly is focused only on her December 7th fight against Diana, but I have to think about Holly’s fight career. If we get past Prazak, I’ll try and make a deal for Holly to fight (Cecilia) Braekhus (21-0, 5 KOs), something we’ve tried to get done in the past without success. Holly’s 31 and we’re not going to wait around for Braekhus. If we can’t get a deal done to fight her, I will look into an MMA super fight between Holly and Ronda Rousey.”

Supporting “Fire And Ice” fights showcasing local boxers will feature light welterweight Matthew “Champ” Baca (1-0, 1KO) vs. Derek Perez (pro debut) in a four-round bout, female light welterweight Victoria “La Reina de la Guerra” Cisneros (8-13-2, 3 KOs) vs. “Merciless” Mary McGee (19-1, 10 KOs) in a six-round match, bantamweight Raymond “Hollewood” Montez (5-2, 3 KOs) vs. Tony Valdez (6-6-3, 6 KOs) in a much-anticipated eight-round rematch, and amateur standout Jason Sanchez makes his pro debut in a four-round fight vs. featherweight Gene Perez (1-0).

For more information about “Fire And Ice” go on line to www.FresquezProductions.com or www.rt66casino.com.

Lafayette, CA (November 29, 2012) – UFC GYM® announces it will begin selling memberships at its first East Coast location in New Hyde Park, NY Saturday, December 1st. Set to open for workouts in spring 2013, the facility will be the brand’s first gym in New York and looks to bring UFC GYM’s unique “Train Different” approach to Long Island, offering residents the opportunity to train like world-class UFC fighters.

“After shaking up the fitness industry in California and Hawaii, we’re ready to show the East Coast what makes UFC GYM such a powerhouse in the industry,” said Adam Sedlack, senior vice president, UFC GYM. “Through a combination of MMA training and cutting-edge fitness offerings, we’ve created a place where people can go to stay motivated, workout and get results.”

UFC GYM Long Island will go beyond traditional workouts by offering a broad and innovative array of programming for the entire family and every fitness level. Its “Train Different” approach applies to every element of the workout experience. The goal is to provide a true alternative to the same old workout routine through signature classes and specialized equipment. The club will include a 32 square foot Octagon, BJJ Studio, Bag Room, top-of-the-line strength training and cardio machines, battling ropes, agility ladders and other functional training equipment. Top-notch personal trainers will be available to help people of all fitness levels achieve undeniable results and the club will boast an expansive 2,500 square foot group fitness studio to house a full range of UFC GYM’s signature classes including Hot Hula, D.U.T (Daily, Ultimate Training), Hi-Octane Conditioning, and more.

In addition to the club’s training options, UFC GYM Long Island will offer full-service locker rooms, an Arm Bar Café™, featuring a tasty assortment of healthy shakes and smoothies and a retail shop. To create a fitness destination for the whole family, the club also offers a YOUTH GYM, featuring a private kids’ training area, offering Youth Fitness Classes, Active Fitness Gaming, Youth Mixed Martial Arts and Ultimate Birthday Parties.

Potential members will have an opportunity to join at a reduced rate and lock in low monthly dues prior to the facility opening at the UFC GYM enrollment center located at 1596 Union Turnpike, New Hyde Park, NY 11040. The first 300 new members will receive a UFC GYM shirt and gift bag. The enrollment center hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, check out www.ufcgymlongisland.com or call 516-784-4072.

About UFC GYM®

UFC GYM® is the first major brand extension of the Ultimate Fighting Championship®, the world leader in the sport of mixed martial arts. In alliance with New Evolution Ventures™(NeV), developers of many of the world’s most successful fitness brands, the UFC Gym brand gives UFC enthusiasts and fitness seekers of all ages the opportunity to practice the training techniques of famed UFC athletes.

Offering a full-range of group fitness classes, private MMA training, personal and group dynamic training, plus MMA style youth programming, UFC GYM creates something for all ages and fitness levels. As the first to combine the world of mixed martial arts and fitness, UFC GYM has developed an atmosphere where members can see immediate results. UFC GYM is the ultimate fitness experience. The brand is not what you expect, and more than you can imagine, aiming to continue revolutionizing the fitness industry. For more information, please visit www.ufcgym.com.

About New Evolution Ventures™ (NeV)

Based in Northern California, New Evolution Ventures (NeV) is a private equity firm focused on the acquisition, development and operations management of fitness, media and sports interests both domestically and internationally. Founded in 2008 by Mark Mastrov, Jim Rowley and Mike Feeney, and following a strategic partnership with Vision Capital in 2011, the current team of NeV professionals is shaping the world of fitness, media, and sports one brand at a time. With a foundation representing over a century of business experience, NeV currently has operations and investments in more than 20 countries worldwide representing over 800+ facilities. For more information, visit www.nev.com.

About Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

Tacoma, WA, (November 27, 2012) – Halquist Productions will be bringing CageSport MMA back to the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, this Saturday, December 1st, for their 22nd installment of the most premier MMA promotion in the Northwest. Headlining fight night will be co-main events, both featuring title bouts. Anthony Hamilton (7-2) will be taking on Bill Widler (5-3) for CageSport’s vacant heavyweight title, while the undefeated Julian Erosa (9-0) defends his title against one of the top west coast prospects, Drew Brokenshire (7-3).

Tickets for CageSport XXII are still available and can be purchased through Ticketmaster or at the Emerald Queen Casino Box office.

Hamilton, fighting out of Redmond, WA, will be making his 3rd appearance on a CageSport when he looks to prevent the California native, Bill Widler from claiming the title. The heavyweight has been all over the sporting scene as he was a collegiate All-American wrestler for Highline Community College and Pacific Lutheran University and even had a stint playing football for Central Washington University. His opponent, Bill Widler, is considered one of the tougher heavyweights on the west coast.

Perhaps the best matchup on paper that CageSport has ever seen, according to promoter, Brian Halquist, is the other co-main event, Julian Erosa vs. Drew Brokenshire for the CageSport featherweight title. Brokenshire trains out of the reputable Brian Johnson Academy in Lacey and resides in Tacoma. He will be fighting in his hometown for the first time. Erosa trains with MMA guru, Rich Guerin at the Yakima MMA gym along with UFC stars, Bryan Caraway and Miesha Tate. Both fighters are still young and have the potential to make a big splash in the MMA world. A victory at CageSport XXII will be sure to give the winner national attention as a fighter on the rise.

“I’m really excited about this CageSport. We have a world class title fight with Erosa and Brokenshire. This is a great way to end our 5th year of CageSport shows and the fans have a lot to look forward to when 2013 rolls around,” said promoter, Brian Halquist, about the upcoming CageSport show.

Aside from the co-main events, CageSport XXII will also have 8 other 3 round action packed bouts that will make the Emerald Queen Casino showroom the place to be come Saturday night. The most anticipated bout on the undercard in what is expected to be a thriller is between Harrison Bevens out of Lacey, WA and Craig Jackson from Bellingham, WA. Other matchups include: Chanti Johnson (Kirkland, WA) vs. Charon Spain (Kennewick, WA), Emmanuel Russell (Seattle, WA) vs. Delane Lamere (Missoula, MT), Josh Solis (Paterson, WA) vs. Travis Johnston (Missoula, MT), Brandon Dudley (North Bend, WA) vs. William Comstock (Spokane, WA), Richard Foster (Eatonville, WA) vs. Damion Martindale (Astoria, OR), Austin Arnett (Clarkston, WA) vs. Eduardo Torres (Wapato, WA), and Benny Vinson (Portland, OR) vs. Ronald Murphy (Tacoma, WA).

Doors for CageSport XXII open at 6 PM with the first fight scheduled for 7 PM. Halquist Productions continues to be the leading northwest promoter for mixed martial arts having had many current UFC, Bellator, and StrikeForce stars fight on a CageSport card as a way to establish their image and fight the best of the best in the area. For more information about CageSport XXII and all other Halquist Production events, please visit the Halquist Productions website at halquistproductions.com.

Las Vegas – November 26, 2012 Nick Foxhuber (Ronin Training Center – Columbus) claimed the Rocktagon MMA Lightweight Championship at Rocktagon XXII “Pull No Punches” on Wednesday night by defeating Daniel Coffman (Team Vengeance – Scottsdale, PA) in the main event at La Villa Event Center in Cleveland. All but two of the remaining bouts made it past the first round in what had to be one of the most exciting all-amateur cards in Rocktagon MMA history.

Foxhuber won the lightweight title by outworking Coffman, earning a unanimous decision (30-27) after three hard fought three-minute rounds. Foxhuber had the better ground game and was able to control Coffman in most other areas. This is the second time the duo has faced off in the Rocktagon and the second time Foxhuber walked about with the unanimous decision victory, handing Coffman his only two career losses to date.

The co-main event featured a hard-hitting battle in the light heavyweight division between Matt Comer (Ronin) and Mike Garcher (Elyria). Garcher came out swinging but was no match for Comer’s cardio endurance and brutal strikes, which ended the fight with a 2:55-second finish in round two by TKO.

In other fights, Joe Callari (GriffonRawl MMA Academy – Cleveland) verbally submitted Curt “Hammer” Harper (Columbus MMA – Columbus) in a welterweight bout at the 1:16-second mark of round two after a fierce leg kick; Heavyweight Daniel “Rock Star” Sutcliffe (Team Valiant – Warren) submitted Tyree Johnson (BlackArts MMA – Cleveland) with a 1:35-second finish in round two by guillotine choke; Middleweight Steve Chapple (BlackArts) submitted Brady “Brick” House (Musado Fight School – Rittman) with a 35-second finish in round two by a standing guillotine choke; Tony DiSantis (GriffonRawl) got the TKO against welterweight opponent Chad Rothgeb (Sandusky) with a 2:07-second first round call due to strikes; Tim Beanblossom (Team Valiant) had an impressive debut performance with a three-round unanimous decision over David “Body Bagz” Kithcart (Clinton Street Kickboxing & MMA – Syracuse, NY) in the middleweight division; Ray “Crazy” Hollis (Team Bundy – Niles) picked up the TKO victory over Anthony Morales (Sagamore, PA) in a bloody battle that ended the light heavyweight bout at the 2:36-second mark of round two due to strikes; Uriah Karkow (Team Bundy) won the split decision against Josh “Mr. MMA” Belle (GriffonRawl) after all three judges scored the back-and-forth battle between the welterweights 29-28; Jon Reeves (GriffonRawl) defeated Nico Persaliano (Team Valiant) via TKO due to strikes at the 1:51-second mark of round three in a bantamweight match; Chad Hennie (Musado) recorded a three-round split decision over Brian Porterfield (Team Bundy) by the scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 in a welterweight matchup; and John “The Juggernaut” Strout (Clinton Street) picked up a win in the light heavyweight division against Jevon Walker (Cleveland) with a 2:33-second finish in round one after a submission via rear naked choke.

Rocktagon XXII is set to air on The Comcast Network (TCN) and Comcast Sports (CSN) to 21.9 million viewers in several markets nationally beginning December 8. Streaming footage of the live event is currently available globally for $9.99 through the Go Fight Live website.

Rocktagon MMA returns to the La Villa Event Center on Saturday, January 19 for the highly anticipated launch of the 2013 Pro-Am Series “The Journey of Champions.” Tickets, starting at $20, will be available soon online at www.RocktagonMMA.com, by phone at 440-934-4MMA, or in person at participating Discount Drug Mart locations.

Founded in mid-2010, Rocktagon MMA has successfully completed 22 events on two coasts and is the only national amateur fight series in the country and the only promotion able to offer four types of shows to meet the needs of various markets: all Amateur, all Professional, Pro-Am, and Rock-n-Rage. Rock-n-Rages are premium events combining the cage of mixed martial arts with a stage featuring live musical performances by well-known artists.

To find out more about Rocktagon MMA, please visit www.RocktagonMMA.com. Fans may also follow Rocktagon MMA on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Rocktagon_MMA, like Rocktagon MMA on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/RocktagonMMA, or watch Rocktagon MMA videos on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/TheRocktagonMMA.

Spotlight on
Rocktagon XXII Brand Partners

Did you know that Rocktagon XXII sponsors had their brand exposed to almost 30 million people? The potential reach of a branding partnership with Rocktagon MMA gives you way more bang for your buck than going it alone. Packages available at the local, regional, and national levels.

PRESENTING SPONSOR

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TALE OF THE TAPE SPONSOR

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Rocktagon XXII Airs December 8
Rocktagon XXII will air on TCN and CSN in 21.9 million homes in the Philadelphia, Mid-Atlantic, Bay Area, North West and Mid-Chicago markets beginning December 8. Check your local listings for details.

Rocktagon XXII Pay Per View
Too excited to wait until December 8? Live stream footage is available on demand on the Go Fight Live website for $9.99.

Rocktagon XXIII “Warriors, Raise Your Shields” Pro-Am on January 19 in Cleveland
Rocktagon MMA returns to the La Villa Event Center on Saturday, January 19 for the launch of the 2013 Pro-Am Series “The Journey of Champions.” Tickets starting at $20 go on sale December 3 and will be available online at www.RocktagonMMA.com, by phone at 440-934-4MMA, or at participating Discount Drug Mart locations.

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Nov. 23, 2012) – Just three months after its first world championship bout, women’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Invicta Fighting Championships will return to Memorial Hall in Kansas City and crown a champion in its strawweight (115 pounds) division after undefeated sensation Claudia Gadelha (9-0) of Mossoro, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil battles streaking star Carla Esparza (8-2) of Redondo Beach, Calif. for the title in the main event of a 12-bout fight card on Saturday, Jan. 5.

In the bantamweight (135 pounds) co-main event, crowd-pleasing submission ace Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler (15-7) of Sioux Falls, S.D. will go to war with fellow top-ranked star Alexis Davis (12-5) of Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada.

Tickets, priced from $25, for the Invicta FC 4: Gadelha vs. Esparza women’s MMA event, go on sale Monday, Nov. 26 at Memorial Hall box office (913-549-4853), online at Ticketmaster.com and InvictaFC.com and by phone at 800-745-3000.

Following her second round (2:19) TKO (punches) of Kaitlin Young at Invicta FC 3 on Oct. 6, Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (4-2-1) of Pleasant Hill, Calif. will return to action to face a bantamweight opponent to be determined.

Power-punching KO artist Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes (7-2) of Salvador Bahia, Brazil will take on submission specialist Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio (6-3) of San Jose, Calif. at bantamweight.

JEWELS star Hiroko Yamanaka (12-2) of Kisarazu, Japan will battle Invicta FC 3 winner Ediane Gomes (8-2) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in a featherweight (145 pounds) contest.

In the event’s opening main card bout, undefeated Joanne Calderwood (4-0) of Glasgow, Scotland will square off with Invicta FC newcomer Bec Hyatt (4-1) of Brisbane, Australia at strawweight.

After scoring her second consecutive, five-second KO on July 8, Veronica Rothenhausler (0-0) of Reno, Nev. will make her much-anticipated professional debut on the Invicta FC 4 undercard against fellow heavy-handed featherweight competitor Katalina Malungahu (2-1) of Las Vegas, Nev.

Claudia Gadelha vs. Carla Esparza

Just 23 years old, Gadelha boasts three world championships and seven national titles in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition and has submitted seven of her first nine professional MMA opponents. An injury kept the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt sidelined for the entirety of 2011 but, on April 20, she returned to action, earning a unanimous decision win over Valerie Letorneau in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. Gadelha returned to her homeland and scored a first round (1:35) TKO (punches) on Adriana Vieira on Sept. 21.

The 25-year-old Esparza has been gaining momentum, winning her last three fights. Her last two victories – a second round (4:28) TKO (punches) of Sarah Schneider and a first round (2:53) TKO (punches) of Lynn Alvarez – came inside the Invicta FC cage on July 28 and Oct. 6, respectively. To date, three of Esparza’s professional wins have come by way of (T)KO and three by way of submission.

Shayna Baszler vs. Alexis Davis

The 32-year-old Baszler lit up Memorial Hall for the second time on an Invicta FC show on Oct. 6, outworking D’Alelio on the ground and securing a rear-naked choke that forced D’Alelio to tap out at the :37 mark of the second round of their matchup. A fearsome grappler, Baszler has earned the respect of the fight world by earning 14 of her 15 victories with submissions, including her patented hold that she dubbed the “shwing.”

Davis, a 28-year-old black belt in both Japanese Jujutsu and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has been ranked as high as the No. 3 bantamweight female fighter in the world by the Unified Women’s MMA Rankings. In her last effort at Invicta FC 2 on July 28, Davis submitted Japanese star Hitomi Akano with a rear-naked choke in the second round (3:41) of their matchup

Amanda Nunes vs. Sarah D’Alelio

Since making her pro debut in March 2008, Nunes has established a reputation as a ferocious power-puncher. The 24-year-old, who began her boxing training at age 16, exploded onto the national MMA scene in The U.S. on Jan. 7, 2011, demolishing Julia Budd with a barrage of punches just 14 seconds into their live, Showtime-televised fight. Nunes made her Invicta FC debut on July 28, submitting Raquel Pa’aluhi with a rear-naked choke in the first round (2:24) of their bout.

D’Alelio has competed on all three Invicta FC cards, thus far. The 31-year-old submission ace, who has earned five of her six wins by way of submission and the sixth by TKO, will look to return to the win column after a valiant performance against Baszler. D’Alelio forced Vanessa Mariscal to tap out from a barrage of punches in the second round (3:19) of their meeting at the historic, first Invicta FC event on April 28, and tapped out Vanessa Porto with a rear-naked choke in the first round (3:16) of their Invicta FC 2 bout.

Hiroko Yamanaka vs. Ediane Gomes

Nicknamed “Incomplete Queen” and “Cat’s Eye,” Yamanaka, is a former open weight champion in Japan’s now-defunct Smackgirl MMA promotion and the No. 7 ranked featherweight according to the Unified Women’s Mixed Martial Arts Rankings. The 34-year-old Muay Thai and submission grappling specialist, put together an eight-fight win streak between Nov. 2008 and July. 2011, and emerged a star in Japanese promotion JEWELS during that span.

Gomes is a 31-year-old submission expert and member of vaunted South Fla.-based fight squad American Top Team. Hardened in her native Brazil where amateur level competition is non-existent, Gomes was victorious in her first five professional fights – four by way of armbar submission and one via TKO (punches). At Invicta FC on Oct. 6, she forced the highly-touted Malungahu to tap out from a rear-naked choke in the first round (4:19) of their undercard bout.

Joanne Calderwood vs. Bec Hyatt

Calderwood is an explosive, 26-year-old national Muay Thai champion in Scotland, who has successfully transitioned to the sport of MMA by going unbeaten in her first four pro starts. On Oct. 6, she reeled off her fourth victory at Invicta FC 3, KO’ing Ashley Cummins with a brutal knee strike to the body in the first round (3:13) of their matchup. Calderwood’s performance earned her “KO of the Night” honors from the promotion.

Since suffering a defeat in her pro debut on Oct. 15, 2011, the 23-year-old Hyatt has been on fire, winning four consecutive fights. In her last start on Oct. 20, Hyatt, the first Australian competitor to sign with Invicta FC, finished Christina Nicole Tatnell just 37 seconds into their matchup with a flurry of punches.

The six-bout preliminary card will be capped off with an atomweight (105 pounds) matchup between Stephanie Frausto (4-4) of Cincinnati, Ohio and Cassie Rodish (3-3) of Des Moines, Iowa.

Unbeaten Tamikka Brents (1-0) of Springfield, Illin. will take on Amanda Bell (0-0) of Medford, Ore. at featherweight.

Jodie Esquibel (2-0) of Albuquerque, N.M. and Liz McCarthy (1-0) of Tigard, Ore. will square off at atomweight.

Emily Kagan (2-0) of Albuquerque, N.M. will put her undefeated record on the line against Rose Namajunas (0-0) of Milwaukee, Wis. In a strawweight matchup.

Paige Van Zant (2-0) of Sparks, Nev. will face off with Tecia Torres (1-0) of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. at strawweight.

About Invicta Fighting Championships:

Invicta Fighting Championships (www.invictafc.com) is a world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp and sports aficionado Janet Martin, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible matchups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport.

London, England (Nov. 23, 2012) – The highly-anticipated showdown between Remy Bonjasky (76-14, 40 KO’s) and Tyrone Spong (68-6-1 42 KO’s) will take place on Saturday, March 23 at the Excel Arena in London, England, it was announced today by Glory Sports International (GSI), parent company of the Glory World Series.

The bout had previously been set for February 16 but with Bonjasky being set to participate in the GLORY 4 – TOKYO: GRAND SLAM 16-man mega-tournament on New Year’s Eve, it was decided that February would potentially be too soon for him to get back in the ring. He will now have several more weeks to recover from his tournament bouts and get in peak condition for his first-time meeting with Spong.

“Remy was more than happy to take part in the tournament and then fight again in February,” explains GLORY Chairman Pierre Andurand. “But this is the first time that he and Spong will have fought and there was such huge interest in the match when we announced it that we decided to move the date and give him some time to rest up. It means that he and Spong will be in peak condition when they face each other.”

Marcus Luer, Managing Director of GLORY, added, “The worldwide interest in Spong vs. Bonjasky has been absolutely huge. Within literally minutes of it being announced we were inundated with requests for tickets and broadcast details.

“With this fight being of such magnitude to fans worldwide, we want both fighters to be at their absolute best for this historic first meeting. They now have a few extra weeks to sharpen their weapons for what is expected to be a truly classic encounter.”

‘The Flying Gentleman’ Bonjasky is a household name among kickboxing fans and this will be the first time that British fight fans have the opportunity to see him fight live. One of the most athletic fighters ever to step into the ring, Bonjasky’s flying knees and kicks have provided some of the most thrilling images of the sport and helped propel him to victory in three Grand Prix tournaments in the old K-1 fight series.

An eye ailment forced a temporary retirement on him for nearly three years but, after undergoing surgery, the 1.93 meter (6-foot-4), 108 kilogram (240 pound) fighter was ready to put the gloves back on. Last month he made a triumphant return with a decision win over Brazil’s top heavyweight, Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva.

Amsterdam native Spong, who recently relocated to Boca Raton, Fla. to train with the famed ‘Blackzilians’ fight squad, is a world-class athlete. Standing 1.88 meters (6-foot-2) and weighing 103.5 kilograms (228 pounds), he started his career as a middleweight and has retained that speed and fluidity as he has moved up through the weight classes to heavyweight. With explosive power in his hands, nearly two-thirds of Spong’s wins have been by stoppage, including his June KO of legend Peter Aerts.

Tickets for the March 23 event will go on sale soon and the full card will be announced in the near future. The headliners are supported by a stellar card which includes two of the UK’s top talents taking on strong international opposition.

Jordan Watson (29-5-1, 14 KO’s) and Liam Harrison (67-13-2, 38 KO’s), of the Bad Company team in Leeds, have carved their reputations in the fighting rings of Thailand and around the world. In March, Watson will face the Australian knockout machine ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Moxon (29-4-1, 16 KO’s) while his team mate Harrison faces the Dutch-Moroccan technician Mosab ‘Jaguar’ Amrani (48-7-4, 14 KO’s).

About GLORY:

The GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s premier kickboxing, or stand-up fighting league, staging events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of 16-man ‘Grand Prix’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, plus a groundbreaking online video streaming system and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely-broadcast sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in Holland, the UK, Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Its personnel includes a diverse mix of award-winning hedge-fund and private equity investors; principals from pioneering sports marketing agency Total Sport Asia; and senior level executives from several leading sports franchises, including WWE, FIFA, Golden Glory, Champions League and It’s Showtime.

TOKYO, Japan (Nov. 20, 2012) – The opening round matches for the highly-anticipated GLORY 4 TOKYO – Heavyweight Grand Slam, one-night, 16-man kickboxing tournament at Saitama Super Arena on New Year’s Eve, were determined via a random draw in the Japanese capital today.

“The tournament draw has made some really interesting matches for the first round, matching the best rising stars with some of the sport’s biggest names. Some of the pairings are absolutely explosive and will be guaranteed wars,” says GLORY chairman Pierre Andurand.

“This is the world’s most prestigious kickboxing tournament and is the single biggest kickboxing event in history. We are extremely proud of this line-up that features fighters from over a dozen nations, and are very excited at seeing the tournament play out,” says GLORY Managing Director Marcus Luer.

“Tens of thousands of fans watched the draw online and it was attended by numerous members of the press both in Tokyo and online, guaranteeing that the eyes of the world will be on the Saitama Super Arena this New Year’s Eve.”

World No. 1 ranked heavyweight and No. 1 tournament seed Semmy Schilt (39-6, 18 KO’s), who won the GLORY heavyweight title earlier this year, drew Brice Guidon (28-7, 4 KO’s) of France as an opening round opponent. Schilt, an Ashihara Karate black belt, is a notoriously difficult opponent because of his size (2.12 meters/6-foot-11) and his unique style, which explains why only four men have ever beaten him in his entire career.

Guidon’s style is characterized by excellent timing. He is the WPMF European Heavyweight and WPMF World Super-Heavyweight champion and has fought Schilt once before, going the distance with him in Moscow, Russia earlier this year.

No. 2 seed is Gokhan Saki (77-15, 53 KO’s), of Turkish heritage, but born and raised in the Netherlands. Saki is a fan favourite worldwide and his famous left hook has put a quick and definitive end to many an opponent’s night. Saki is the shortest fighter in the tournament but also the most explosive and anyone who faces him knows they are going to get hurt.

Facing him in the first round will be the Japanese puncher Raomoru. He likes to get into a scrap and he will happily stand and trade with Saki, which should ensure that one of them will not be making it to the final bell.

Daniel Ghita (44-7, 34 KO’s), known as ‘The Savage Samurai,’ is the No. 3 seed. Noted for his brutal leg-kicks and technical kickboxing, he has dismantled all the opposition placed in front of him over the last two years. Ghita is now at his absolute prime and touted as a future all-time great. He is the second favourite to win the tournament, according to odds makers.

Ghita will face the Brazilian-Japanese fighter Fabiano ‘Cyclone’ Aoki (27-9, 14 KO’s) Hailing from the large Japanese-descent community to be found in the Belem region of Brazil, Aoki is from the same town as former UFC champion Lyoto Machida but competes in Japan. In recent years he has taken the RISE, J-Network and WPMF heavyweight titles.

No. 4 seed is the high-flying Remy Bonjasky (77-14, 40 KO’s). His breath taking array of flying kicks and knees makes him one of the most unique fighters ever to step into the ring and he always puts on a show. He returned to action this year after an extended layoff and showed that he deserves his spot at the upper end of the rankings.

Bonjasky will face Filip Verlinden (38-6, 17 KO’s), an outstandingly technical Muay Thai fighter. Verlinden had a long and successful amateur Muay Thai career which culminated in his winning a world title. Verlinden has trained from a young age under his father, a former champion, and it has been his lifelong dream to win a major kickboxing tournament.

No. 5 seed Peter Aerts (104-30-1, 78 KO’s) has, for two decades he won in the rings of Japan, becoming an idol to fans both there and around the world. Aerts is the oldest fighter in the competition but also the most experienced. He holds three wins over Schilt and there are few fighters who can surprise him with anything.

Opposing Aerts in the first round of the tournament will be his close friend and training partner Mourad Bouzidi (73-19, 33 KO’s). The draw was not what they wanted but such is the nature of things in tournaments and they say it will be strictly business on Dec. 31, with the friendship suspended until the fight is out of the way.

No. 6 seed Errol Zimmerman (76-16-1, 41 KO’s), ‘The Bonecrusher’, earned his nickname due to his ferocious right hand. Zimmerman’s raw power is unbelievable and he has been adding new skills to his game following an unsuccessful shot at the GLORY heavyweight title earlier this year.

The draw has matched Zimmerman with Jamal Ben Saddik (22-0, 19 KO’s) who has been referred to as the ‘Moroccan Semmy Schilt’ on account of his size. Almost as tall and as heavy as Schilt, it’s hard to believe Ben Saddik is just 22 years old. He made his professional debut last year by stopping Rico Verhoeven, who had never previously been knocked out.

No. 7 seed Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva (32-8-1, 22 KO’s) is Brazil’s top heavyweight and was Aerts’ main sparring partner for several years while based in Holland. He faced Bonjasky and fellow top heavyweight Badr Hari in 2012 and impressed fans in both starts. In 41 professional fights, the 26-year-old has never once been KO’d.

Silva faces the hard-hitting Igor Jurkovic (44-5, 29 KO’s) of Croatia. Jurkovic made his GLORY debut in Brussels earlier this year and stopped Tony Gregory of France with a body shot in the second round, earning himself a spot in the Grand Slam in the process.

No. 8 seed is the Russian bear, Sergei Kharitonov (22-7, 12 KO’s). A former paratrooper, Kharitonov knows a thing or two about shock tactics and he tries to overwhelm his opposition with the bombs he carries in each glove.

He has drawn Rico Verhoeven (37-6-1, 8 KO’s), regarded as one of the brightest young prospects in the heavyweight division. Verhoeven is 23 years old and has faced some stiff tests on the way to this tournament, including a win over the It’s Showtime heavyweight champion Hesdy Gerges.

GLORY tournaments use a seeding system akin to that used in tennis and other tournament sports. The top eight fighters in the official GLORY rankings were appointed seeds one through eight, respectively, in the invitation-only Heavyweight Grand Slame draw, and today’s draw determined which of the remaining eight participants would face them in the first fights of the night.

A total of $600,000 in prize money will be awarded during the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam fight card, which represents one-half of the ‘GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special,’ double-header event at Saitama Super Arena.

The action will kick off at 4 p.m. JST with DREAM 18, a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) card stacked with world-class talent to be announced soon.

About GLORY:

The GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s premier kickboxing, or stand-up fighting league, staging events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of 16-man ‘Grand Prix’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, plus a groundbreaking online video streaming system and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely-broadcast sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in Holland, the UK, Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Its personnel includes a diverse mix of award-winning hedge-fund and private equity investors; principals from pioneering sports marketing agency Total Sport Asia; and senior level executives from several leading sports franchises, including WWE, FIFA, Golden Glory, Champions League and It’s Showtime.

London, England (Nov. 19, 2012) – Heavyweight superstars Remy Bonjasky (77-14, 40 KO’s) and Tyrone Spong (68-6-1 42 KO’s) will collide in the main event of GLORY 5 London at the British capital’s Excel Arena on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013.

Also confirmed for the kickboxing mega-card are lightweight (70 kilograms/154 pounds) British standouts Jordan Watson (29-5-1, 14 KO’s) and Liam Harrison (67-13-2, 38 KO’s). Both have tough tests ahead of them – Watson faces the hard-hitting ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Moxon of Australia (29-4-1, 16 KO’s) while Harrison faces the aggressive Moroccan lightweight Mosab ‘Jaguar’ Amrani (48-7-4, 14 KO’s).

Tickets for the event go on sale in December. Pricing and vendors will be announced in the coming weeks.

‘The Flying Gentleman’ Bonjasky is a household name among kickboxing fans and this will be the first time that British fight fans have the opportunity to see him fight live. One of the most athletic fighters ever to step into the ring, Bonjasky’s flying knees and kicks have provided some of the most thrilling images of the sport and helped propel him to victory in three Grand Prix tournaments in the old K-1 fight series.

An eye ailment forced a temporary retirement on him for nearly three years but, after undergoing surgery, the 1.93 meter (6-foot-4), 108 kilogram (240 pound) fighter was ready to put the gloves back on.

At GLORY 2 Brussels on Oct. 6, he made a triumphant return with a decision win over No. 1 ranked Brazilian heavyweight Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva. Bonjasky demonstrated superior conditioning and reflexes in the fight, showing his rivals that all the old magic is still there.

Like Bonjasky, Amsterdam native Spong, who recently relocated to Boca Raton, Fla. to train with the famed ‘Blackzilians’ fight squad, is a world-class athlete. Standing 1.88 meters (6-foot-2) and weighing 103.5 kilograms (228 pounds), he started his career as a middleweight and has retained that speed and fluidity as he has moved up through the weight classes to heavyweight.

With explosive power in his hands, nearly two-thirds of Spong’s wins have been by stoppage, including his June KO of legend Peter Aerts. Spong was the last reigning 95 kilogram (210 pound) champion in world championship kickboxing league It’s Showtime which GLORY purchased in October.

“This is a dream fight that kickboxing fans around the world have been wanting to see for some time. Bonjasky is one of the sport’s all-time greats and anybody who watched him fight in Brussels could see immediately that he was as sharp as ever. He had the same dynamic fighting style that earned him tremendous success and acclaim in the sport before he went on hiatus three years ago,” said GLORY Managing Director Marcus Luer.

“As for Spong, his speed and technicality are just amazing. He is unbelievably agile for a heavyweight and he makes fighting look like ballet. He also has plenty of power and a real killer instinct, which we saw in his win over Peter Aerts earlier this year. Bonjasky and Spong are two of the most natural athletes the sport of kickboxing has ever seen. They are going to thrill the London fight fans in February.”

GLORY Chairman Pierre Andurand remarked, “I live in London and I am very proud to be bringing these two world-class fighters to the British capital. Bonjasky and Spong are at the top of their games right now and the winner will take a step closer to a shot at the GLORY heavyweight title.”

Both fighting out of the Bad Company gym in Leeds, England, Watson and Harrison have carved out solid reputations on the international Muay Thai circuit and have a legion of fans in their native northern city. Watson made his GLORY debut in November with a win over Mustapha Haida of Belgium.

Harrison is a four-time world champion in kickboxing and Muay Thai. He has faced elite Thai champions such as Saenchai Sor Kingstar and Anuwat Kaewsamrit and has competed extensively in Thailand with some of the nation’s top fighters. Among the titles Harrison has held are the prestigious WAKO and WMC belts, the latter being arguably the top honor in the Muay Thai world.

Additional matchups for GLORY 5 London will be announced soon. Visit www.gloryworldseries.com for more information.

About GLORY:

The GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s premier kickboxing, or stand-up fighting league, staging events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of 16-man ‘Grand Prix’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, plus a groundbreaking online video streaming system and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely-broadcast sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in Holland, the UK, Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Its personnel includes a diverse mix of award-winning hedge-fund and private equity investors; principals from pioneering sports marketing agency Total Sport Asia; and senior level executives from several leading sports franchises, including WWE, FIFA, Golden Glory, Champions League and It’s Showtime.

Las Vegas, Nevada – Episode 10 – “Coming For You” – of The Ultimate Fighter® Fridays reality series aired Friday night on FX and featured two of this season’s four quarterfinal matchups. Despite a close first and second round between Team Carwin’s Neil Magny and Bristol Marunde, Magny claimed the win via unanimous decision. Viewers also watched as Team Carwin’s Igor Araujo faced-off against Team Nelson’s Colton Smith. After a dominating two-round performance, the bout ended in a victory for Smith via unanimous decision. Team Carwin and Team Nelson now each have a fighter moving into the semifinals.

Here’s what the fighters had to say after their bouts:

Aoutneil “Neil” Magny: “It feels like I’m in a dream still, feels like I haven’t woken up from the dream. I’ve seen this moment so many times, for me to be actually living it now; it just seems unreal for the moment.”

Bristol Marunde: “I feel great. I did exactly what Dana told us to do. Go for the knockout, go for the finish, and I just went for it. Maybe I’m out of the tournament, but I’m not out of the game.”

Colton Smith: “I remember back when I first auditioned for this show, something like 4,000 applicants, 500 people went to tryouts, 32 made it to fight, 16 made it into the house, and now I’m down to the final four – that’s amazing. It feels great to be in the final four and to be in the semi-finals. Dreams are coming true right before my eyes. And whoever’s next, I’m ready to go.”

Igor “Naselva” Araujo: “I lost my fire. This morning I had a dream that my wife and my two kids were hugging me and telling me ‘it doesn’t matter what, we love you.’ Marianna, Renzo, David, I’m sorry, I gave my best but I’m nothing, nothing without you guys.”

The series resumes in two weeks, on Nov. 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX (check local listings for Central and Mountain Time). In Episode 11 – “Fight the Perfect Fight” (Airs November 30, 10:00 pm e/p) – Quarterfinal action continues as Nelson teammates Joey Rivera and Jon Manley face-off to stay in the competition. The tension builds between fellow Canadians Michal Hill and Mike Ricci before they enter the Octagon® to unleash their aggression. Then the last two match-ups before the Finale are revealed when Dana makes the semifinal announcement.

Tickets for The Ultimate Fighter Finale on Dec. 15 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas are on sale and priced at $304, $254, $179, $154, $104 and $79. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the Hard Rock Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com, www.thejointlasvegas.com or charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000.

Results after episode 10:

Team Carwin (5-6)
Sam Alvey (0-1, lost to Joey Rivera by decision in episode 3)
Bristol Marunde (1-1, defeated Julian Lane by decision in episode 4, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 10)
Mike Ricci (1-0, defeated Dom Waters by decision in episode 9)
Neil Magny (2-0, defeated Cameron Diffley by decision in episode 2, defeated Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 10)
James Chaney (0-1, submitted by Jon Manley in episode 8)
Eddy Ellis (0-1, lost to Colton Smith by majority decision in epsiode 6)
Igor Araujo (1-1, defeated Nic Herron-Webb by majority decision in episode 5, lost to Colton Smith by decision in episode 10)
Matt Secor (0-1, lost to Michael Hill by split decision in episode 7)

Team Nelson (5-4)
Dom Waters (0-1, lost to Mike Ricci by decision in episode 9)
Michael Hill (1-0, defeated Matt Secor by split decision in episode 7)
Cameron Diffley (0-1, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 2)
Colton Smith (2-0, defeated Eddy Ellis by majority decision in episode 6, defeated Igor Araujo by decision in episode 10)
Jon Manley (1-0, submitted James Chaney is episode 8)
Nic Herron-Webb (0-1, lost to Igor Araujo by majority decision in episode 5
Joey Rivera (1-0, defeated Sam Alvey by decision in episode 3)
Julian Lane (0-1, lost to Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 4)

A full recap is available at ufc.com.

For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter under our new name @TUFonFX or on Facebook.com/TUG

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over twomillion followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-sellingDVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series including Sons of Anarchy, Justified and American Horror Story, and acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer and Wilfred. Itslibrary of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. The network’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a HalfMen and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with college football and the UFC.

This weekend GFL and Comcast continue their weekly combat sports series with a rising star of East Coast MMA, as Gladius Fights presents Gladius Fights 1 featuring a full lineup of veteran and battle-tested fighters from the East Coast highlighted by a main event featuring Strikeforce veteran Don Carlo-Clauss (9-7) taking on ROC and CFFC veteran Eddie Fyvie (9-5) in a lightweight battle. Both Carlo-Clauss and Fyvie are looking to prove they are the alpha male in the lightweight division in this inaugural event and the fighting styles and explosiveness of both fighters will be on full display from bell to bell. Air times will be at 10 PM EST Saturday evening in all TCN coverage areas, and will replay on Thursday, 11/22 at 8 pm. CSN Philly will air the event on Sunday, 11/18 at 4pm and replay on Tuesday, 11/20 at 7 PM. Comcast subscribers in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC, Delaware, New Jersey and even some parts of New York will have access to Gladius Fights 1 this weekend. To stay connected with GFL and this unique fight series, visit these CSN online locations for up-to-the-date programming info.

CSN Philadelphia http://www.csnphilly.com/ontv/listings
CSN Washington http://www.csnwashington.com/pages/tv_listings
CSN Bay Area http://www.csnbayarea.com/tvlisting_bayarea
CSN Chicago http://www.csnchicago.com/pages/tvlisting
CSN New England http://www.csnne.com/pages/oncsn
CSN Northwest http://www.csnnw.com/pages/tvlistings/

Program Lineup Through Thursday November 22
Date Sport Event Price
Fri Nov 16 5:30PM ET MMA Showdown Fights – Lightweight Championship $14.99
Sat Nov 17 12:00PM ET Boxing True Brit: Froch vs Mack $29.95
Sat Nov 17 4:00PM ET MMA Locked in the Cage 12 $14.99
Sat Nov 17 5:00PM ET Wrestling Impact Zone Wrestling: Nov 17, 2012 $4.99
Sat Nov 17 4:00PM ET Multiple CSC 34 – Battleware Fighting Championships $14.99
Wed Nov 21 4:00PM ET MMA Rocktagon MMA XXII $9.99

About Gofightlive
GFL is a pioneer in Internet Sports Broadcasting. Over the years GFL has broadcast more than 1700 live events to fans in over 199 countries worldwide and has a video library exceeding 8000 combat sports videos comprising more than 5,000 hours of programming. GFL is especially proud to have served greater than 5 million public viewers over the years with more than 250 combat sports related website affiliates in its network. GFL is also available on Roku, Boxee, Android, IPhone, IPad, as well as other internet ready devices. Check the event page for details. Join us at: www.GFL.tv or https://www.facebook.com/GoFightLive.tv or twitter.com/GFL or youtube.com/Gofightlive or inquiries contact press@gfl.tv

Tokyo, Japan (Nov. 15, 2012) – Glory Sports International (GSI) announced today the top eight seeds for the star-studded GLORY 4 TOKYO – Heavyweight Grand Slam, 16-man, single-elimination tournament at Saitama Super Arena on December 31.

Heavyweight champion Semmy Schilt (39-6, 18 KO’s) of Netherlands has been named the No. 1 seed in the tournament draw. Seeds No. 2 through 8 have been assigned to Gokhan Saki (77-15, 53 KO’s) of Turkey, Daniel Ghita (44-7, 34 KO’s) of Romania, Remy ‘The Flying Gentleman’ Bonjasky (76-14, 40 KO’s) of Netherlands, Peter ‘The Dutch Lumberjack’ Aerts (104-30-1, 78 KO’s) of Netherlands, Errol Zimmerman of Curacao (76-16-1, 41 KO’s), Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva (32-8-1, 22 KO’s) of Brazil and Sergei Kharitonov (22-7 12 KO’s) of Russia, respectively.

A draw that will decide the tournament’s quarterfinal round matchups will take place in Tokyo on Tuesday, Nov. 20 and will stream live, free-of-charge on GloryWorldSeries.com, beginning at 8 p.m. local time/6 a.m. EST/3 a.m. PST.

“The fighters in this tournament are without a doubt the best heavyweights in the world. The top eight seeds alone would make for an amazing tournament but, when you consider that they are just half of the Grand Slam field, you realize that the Dec. 31 event is going to be something very special,” said GLORY Managing Director Marcus Luer.

“It is a great pleasure and considerable honor for us to present the top eight seeds to the Japanese fans and fight fans around the world. The complete line-up is the strongest there has ever been for any kickboxing event and it will be by far the most challenging tournament in the history of the sport,” observed GLORY Chairman Pierre Andurand.

GLORY determines its tournament seeds using the GLORY World Federation rankings.

Semmy Schilt (No. 1 Seed)

An Ashihara Karate sensei, Schilt faced Zimmerman in Sweden earlier this year in GLORY’s inaugural heavyweight championship bout, and his dominating win underlined his place at the top of the weight category and at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings.

Gokhan Saki (No. 2 Seed)

Saki’s performance against Mourad Bouzidi at GLORY 2 Brussels on Oct. 6 gave all his fellow heavyweights pause for thought. Few of them can match Saki’s speed and power, and his left hand that has ended many a fight.

Daniel Ghita (No. 3 Seed)

Ghita, known as ‘The Savage Samurai,’ is noted for his brutal leg-kicks and technical kickboxing. In 2011 and 2012, he dismantled all the opposition placed in front of him and is now at his absolute prime, touted as a future all-time great.

Remy Bonjasky (No. 4 Seed)

One of the sport’s decorated, all-time greats who has produced some of the most memorable moments in the ring with his high-flying, unorthodox style, Bonjasky recently returned from a long hiatus to take on and beat the very tough Silva in a grueling fight. During the bout, Bonjasky proved that his superior athletic ability and conditioning remains intact and that he still relies on his leaping knees and kicks which have made him such a fan favourite.

Peter Aerts (No. 5 Seed)

For many fans, Aerts is still the face of kickboxing. He has fought in Japan for 20 years and won the K-1 Grand Prix, once the top kickboxing tournament, three times. Aerts has also beaten Schilt three times.

Errol Zimmerman (No. 6 Seed)

Zimmerman came to fight for his shot at the GLORY heavyweight title on May 26 but, like many before him, he couldn’t overcome the dominant Schilt. Since their matchup, Zimmerman has been working hard in the gym and honing his fearsome right hand and, according to insiders, he has some new tricks for whomever he faces in the tournament.

Anderson Silva (No. 7 Seed)

The No. 1 heavyweight kickboxer in Brazil, Silva was invited to Amsterdam to become Aerts’ primary sparring partner for several years. He has faced Bonjasky and fellow top heavyweight Badr Hari in 2012 and impressed fans in both starts. In 41 professional fights, the 26-year-old has never once been knocked out.

Sergei Kharitonov (No. 8 Seed)

Russian bear and former paratrooper Kharitonov knows a thing or two about shock tactics. In keeping with his military training, Kharitonov likes to close the distance, overwhelm defenses and take the enemy out as quickly and completely as possible before returning to base for his next mission.

The card featuring the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam tournament represents one half of the ‘GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special,’ double-header event at Saitama Super Arena. The action will kick off at 4 p.m. local time with DREAM 18, a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) card stacked with world-class talent to be announced soon.

Tickets for GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special, go on sale on Sunday, Nov. 25. Broadcast details for will be announced soon. For more information, visit www.gloryworldseries.com.

About GLORY:

The GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s premier kickboxing, or stand-up fighting league, staging events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of 16-man ‘Grand Prix’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, plus a groundbreaking online video streaming system and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely-broadcast sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in Holland, the UK, Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Its personnel includes a diverse mix of award-winning hedge-fund and private equity investors; principals from pioneering sports marketing agency Total Sport Asia; and senior level executives from several leading sports franchises, including WWE, FIFA, Golden Glory, Champions League and It’s Showtime.

Las Vegas, Nevada – UFC® flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson makes his first ever title defense against current number one contender and The Ultimate Fighter® season 14 winner John Dodson on Saturday, Jan. 26 when the Ultimate Fighting Championship® returns to United Center in Chicago, Ill.

Unbeaten in his last three performances, Johnson defeated Joseph Benavidez at UFC 152 in September to earn the inaugural UFC flyweight championship, while Dodson earned his shot at the title following a TKO victory over Jussier Formiga in October.

In the night’s co-main event, former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson takes on the heavy-handed Glover Teixeira, while final WEC® lightweight champion and Milwaukee’s own Anthony Pettis meets the always exciting Donald Cerrone in an explosive matchup.

In addition, UFC® on FOX: JOHNSON vs. DODSON also features three prominent Chicago-based UFC stars and an exciting lightweight contest between surging contenders:

· Chicago native and Elmhurst College grad Ricardo Lamas vs. Erik Koch in a featherweight fight that could earn the winner a title shot.

· Chicago’s Clay Guida making his featherweight debut against Japanese star Hatsu Hioki.

· Chicago police officer Mike Russow vs. Shawn Jordan in a hard-hitting heavyweight bout.

· T.J. Grant vs. Matt Wiman in a fight between surging lightweights.

All of the main card action airs live on FOX at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

“Chicago is a great fight town and we’re excited to come back to the United Center on Jan. 26,” UFC President Dana White said. “This will be our first big event on FOX for 2013 and we’ve lined up an incredible card, including the flyweight title fight. I can’t wait to get back to Chicago for this event!”

Tickets for UFC® on FOX: JOHNSON vs. DODSON will be available Friday, Nov. 30 at 10 a.m. CT and are priced at $250, $150, $100, $75, $50 and $40. Tickets will be available at the United Center Box Office, Ticketmaster Outlets, online at Ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 10 a.m. CT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Nov. 29, starting at 10 a.m. CT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

About the United Center

The United Center is a state-of-the-art, 960,000 square-foot multi-use entertainment facility that has welcomed over 40 million fans since opening in 1994. Home of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League and the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association, the United Center hosts over 200 events each year, including the best musical performers, sporting events, family shows, and special events in the industry. A commitment to superior service makes the United Center one of the top venues in the world.

For more information, visit www.unitedcenter.com.

TOKYO, Japan (Nov 14, 2011) – On the heels of last week’s press conference announcing a historic night of world-class DREAM MMA and GLORY kickboxing action at Saitama Super Arena on New Year’s Eve, GLORY Sports International (GSI) announced today that it has opened a corporate office in Tokyo and established a subsidiary entity, GLORY Sports Japan KK, to pioneer its electrifying martial arts fight series in the Japanese market.

“We are firmly committed to re-vitalizing Japan as an epicenter for some of the best martial arts fight action in the world and, in order to do that effectively, it is critical that we have a capable team operating on the ground there, on a day-to-day basis,” said GLORY Managing Director, Marcus Luer.

Situated in the prestigious Omotesando district of Tokyo, the space represents GLORY’s sixth office location, in addition to its offices in Holland, the UK, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The upcoming event – ‘GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special’ – marks GLORY’s first venture into Japan, where countless MMA and kickboxing legends have been spawned and many of the most memorable, epic battles have taken place.

The GSI-produced New Year’s Eve event will begin at 4 p.m. local time with the DREAM MMA fight card, the lineup for which will be announced soon, and will continue with the GLORY kickboxing event that will award a total of $600,000 in prize money to its competitors and be headlined by a 16-man, one-night heavyweight tournament that will crown its winner the GLORY Heavyweight Grand Slam Champion.

Amongst the heavyweight kickboxing superstars who have accepted a place in the invitation-only tournament lineup are world No. ranked Semmy Schilt as well as Daniel Ghita, Remy Bonjasky, Gokhan Saki, Peter Aerts and Errol Zimmerman.

Broadcast details for GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special will be announced soon. For more information, visit www.gloryworldseries.com.

About GLORY:

The GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s premier kickboxing, or stand-up fighting league, staging events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of 16-man ‘Grand Prix’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, plus a groundbreaking online video streaming system and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely-broadcast sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in Holland, the UK, Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Its personnel includes a diverse mix of award-winning hedge-fund and private equity investors; principals from pioneering sports marketing agency Total Sport Asia; and senior level executives from several leading sports franchises, including WWE, FIFA, Golden Glory, Champions League and It’s Showtime.

LINCOLN, R.I. (Nov. 13, 2012) – These are the fights up-and-comers need to take in order to get to the next level.

“If you can’t beat top regional talent,” Chuck O’Neil said, “you don’t belong in the [Ultimate Fighting Championships].”

On Friday, Dec. 7, 2012, O’Neil and his opponent, Keith Jeffrey, will test that theory at Twin River Casino when they face one another in the main event of “Battle Tested,” presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports.

O’Neil (9-5, 2 KOs), a native of Bourne, Mass., and Jeffrey (8-2), a native of Pawtucket, R.I., are two of the top-ranked welterweights in the northeast; O’Neil is No. 2, one spot behind former UFC veteran Marcus Davis, whom he beat in 2011, while Jeffrey has risen to No. 5 following three consecutive wins.

Next month’s card also features the return of regional stars Todd “The Hulk” Chattelle (10-9, 8 KOs) of Pawtucket, Dinis Paiva Jr. (2-3, 1 KO) of nearby East Providence, R.I., Tyler King (5-1, 2 KOs) of Boston and Providence’s Thomas Evans (2-1), but the O’Neil-Jeffrey showdown is one of the most highly-anticipated bouts of the night, and perhaps the year, given the implications for both fighters.

“I want to test myself against the best,” Jeffrey said. “I want to be in the big show. A win over Chuck will put me right where I need to be.”

For O’Neil, the goal is to get back to the sport’s biggest stage. He had a small taste last year as a cast member on Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter reality series. O’Neil didn’t make the final cut at first; he was originally an alternate, but got his chance to join the show in the first episode when Myles Jury was forced out of the competition due to an injury.

After losing his first bout to Zach Davis, O’Neil made it back onto the show as one of UFC president Dana White’s two wild-card selections. He eventually beat Javier Torres to advance to the quarterfinals and defeated Davis in a rematch before losing to teammate Tony Ferguson in the semifinals. O’Neil made the most of his opportunity on the show, but his run with the UFC didn’t last long; the promotion released him from his contract after he lost to fellow semifinalist Chris Cope on The Ultimate Fighter 13 finale in Nevada.

“I got that far just by being tough,” O’Neil said. “My talent was my toughness.

“Now I’ve switched up camps, got a new boxing coach [Muhammad Brooks of Nashua, N.H.], and now I have an actual skill set. I’m more than just tough. I’m ready now. I’m in a much better position to make a serious run.”

O’Neil got his start training with the Lauzon brothers, Joe and Dany, both of whom have ample UFC experience. He now works with Nate Ryan, a second-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, also from Massachusetts, and Jimmy Quinlan of New Hampshire, a former Division III college wrestling standout who is now 2-0 in mixed martial arts.

“Everyday I learn something new, and I’m loving it,” O’Neil said. “I’ve fallen in love with jiu-jitsu, boxing, wrestling – they’re now passions of mine. I used to be a really good wrestler, but I was never really technical about it, and my boxing wasn’t tight, but if you hit me in the face I’d just fight back.

“Now I’ve got it, and it’s a whole different process being able to add those elements to your game.”

Following his loss to Cope in June of 2011, O’Neil jumped right back into the mix, agreeing to fight Davis, who had starred in the second season of The Ultimate Fighter and subsequently fought on 15 UFC undercards in a six-year span. What seemed like a risk turned out to be a wise decision as O’Neil beat Davis by split decision.

“I could have felt sorry for myself after The Ultimate Fighter, but I jumped at the opportunity to fight Davis,” O’Neil said. “My corner and I were probably the only ones who knew we’d win that fight. It was a huge win for us.”

O’Neil recently lost his last fight in June to Kevin Nowaczyk, an 11-2 welterweight from Chicago. His success on The Ultimate Fighter has made it difficult for him to find opponents over the past two years (he’s only fought twice since losing to Cope), but Jeffrey willingly accepted the challenge, hoping a win on Dec. 7 will ultimately get him the same opportunity to fight on the biggest stage.

“This is what will get my name out there,” Jeffrey said. “[O’Neil] is very well-rounded. He’s long on his feet and has pretty good stand-up. He likes the ground and doesn’t stay away from the ground. I imagine he’ll try to take me down at some point.

“He’s a great competitor and a worthy opponent. I’m expecting a really tough fight.”

Like O’Neil, Jeffrey has also made adjustments to his camp in recent years, most notably the addition of boxing coach David Keefe, which has helped translate into three consecutive wins since Jeffrey returned from a knee injury last November. His preparation for next month’s fight has gone relatively smooth, unlike past camps where minor issues popped up along the way.

“Just trials and tribulations,” Jeffrey said. “That right there is what makes you a better fighter. If you still come out on top, that’s what grows you as a person and fighter. I’ve had my share of things go wrong at the last minute, but I’ve been fortunate enough to come out on top. Now I’m looking forward to facing Chuck.

“You don’t ever expect to go in there 100 percent,” he continued. “No one is ever 100 percent, but if you can make it through and be 90 percent, that’s the best you can hope for. It’s about training smart, knowing when to taper off – that’s why having the right coaches and people around you is so important. That stuff adds up for you.”

Fighting in the main event is no small task, but Jeffrey is up to the challenge after his last fight against Harley Beekman at Twin River in June wound up as the last-minute headliner.

“That threw me for a loop a little bit, but it helped me to be on that stage,” said Jeffrey, who forced Beekman to submit via guillotine midway through the second round. “CES has helped me grow as a fighter. Before I came to them, I was injury prone and wasn’t sure if I’d ever fight again. I was young enough and wanted to make another run at it, and CES was the perfect fit.

“None of these fights have been easy, but they’ve helped me grow. I want to be the main event. I’m comfortable in front of the fans again. I’m more myself. Once you get more confident in there, you can show your true colors.”

Added O’Neil: “This is the type of fight I like. I know he’ll come to fight. I like tough fights. Those are the fights that will get you somewhere. Easy fights won’t get you anywhere.”

Tickets for “Battle Tested” are $35.00, $55.00, $100.00 and $125.00 and can be purchased by calling CES at 401.724.2253/2254, online at www.cesmma.com or www.twinriver.com, at the Players Club booth at Twin River, or through any TicketMaster location. Doors open 6 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7.

On the undercard, Chattelle will face Robby Roberts (8-14, 1 KO) of Orange, Mass., in a middleweight bout; Paiva Jr. will battle bantamweight Evan Parker (3-2) of Leominster, Mass.; and Evans will face featherweight Chris Foster (5-2, 4 KOs) of Meriden, Conn. King, the No. 1 ranked heavyweight in the northeast and a former NFL defensive lineman from Norwood, Mass., will also be featured on the undercard along with an interstate bantamweight showdown between newcomer Matt Doherty of Salem, Mass., and Terrin Swanson (2-1) of Danbury, Conn. Middleweight Joe Palazio of Providence will make his professional debut against Joe Cronin of Mansfield, Mass.; and Eric Bedard (3-1, 1 KO) of Providence will battle Pat Walsh (1-0, 1 KO) of West Bridgewater, Mass., in a heavyweight bout.

(Twin River has waived its 18+ rule for “Battle Tested.” Anybody under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult and must enter through the West entrance).

Las Vegas, Nevada – Episode nine – “Betrayal” – of The Ultimate Fighter® Fridays reality series aired Friday night on FX and saw Team Carwin’s Mike Ricci dominate Team Nelson’s number one pick, Dom Waters in the final preliminary fight of the series via unanimous decision. The teams are now even, with four fighters each moving on to the quarterfinal round.

Ricci, nicknamed “The Martian,” hails from Montreal, Quebec where he has trained with several Ultimate Fighting Championship® superstars such as Georges St-Pierre, Rashad Evans and Kenny Florian. Ricci, who is fluent in French and Italian, admitted to getting into fights quite frequently growing up and that’s what initially sparked his interest in Mixed Martial Arts. He began reading books and training himself on the art of combat until he eventually crossed paths with GSP and things took off from there. The technically skilled and savvy fighter boasts a professional record of 7-2-0, proving thus far to be a legitimate threat to his fellow welterweight contenders.

“Fighting three rounds against a guy like Dom Waters, with his skill and his size, was definitely a challenge and I had to dig deep. I did and it feelt great. That was the toughest fighter in the house and nobody wanted to fight him. I fought him for 15 minutes and I beat him.”

Dominic“Sho Nuff” Waters, a former Marine, is a relative new comer who’s already racked up five consecutive wins. The 23-year-old welterweight, 5-1 in his professional career, trains at the Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance with former UFC middleweight title contender David Terrell. A former high school football, track and wrestling star, “Sho Nuff’s” athleticism and dangerous 81-inch reach makes him a lethal fighter inside the Octagon®. Waters has neverbeen knocked-out; his only loss came via decision.

“I felt sad after the fight. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, but I knew I had given it my all and I had no regrets. I wish I would have stood up, but that’s easier said then done – hindsight’s 20/20. I remember every single one of my losses. You don’t lose for a day, you pretty much lose for the rest of your life.”

The tail end of the episode highlights the quarterfinal selections:

Bristol Marunde (Team Carwin) vs. Neil Magny (Team Carwin)

Igor Araujo (Team Carwin) vs. Colton Smith (Team Carwin)

Joey Rivera (Team Nelson) vs. Jon Manley (Team Nelson)

Mike Ricci (Team Nelson) vs. Michael Hill (Team Nelson)

The series resumes next Friday, Nov. 16, on FX at 10 p.m. ET/PT (check local listings for Central and Mountain Time). In that episode – “Coming For You” – The rift grows between Canadians Michael Hill and Mike Ricci. The quarterfinals kick off as Bristol Marunde faces Neil Magny. Then, after a near-brawl at the weigh-in, Colton Smith takes on Igor Araujo with a spot in the semis on the line.

Ticketsfor The Ultimate Fighter Finale on Dec. 15 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas are on sale and priced at $304, $254, $179, $154, $104 and $79. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the Hard Rock Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com, www.thejointlasvegas.com or charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000.

Results after episode nine:

Team Carwin (4-4)

Sam Alvey (0-1, lost to Joey Rivera by decision in episode 3)

Bristol Marunde (1-0, defeated Julian Lane by decision in episode 4)

Mike Ricci (1-0, defeated Dom Waters by decision in episode 9)

Neil Magny (1-0, defeated Cameron Diffley by decision in episode 2)

James Chaney (0-1, submitted by Jon Manley in episode 8)

Eddy Ellis (0-1, lost to Colton Smith by majority decision in epsiode 6)

Igor Araujo (1-0, defeated Nic Herron-Webb by majority decision in episode 5)

Matt Secor (0-1, lost to Michael Hill by split decision in episode 7)

Team Nelson (4-4)

Dom Waters (0-1, lost to Mike Ricci by decision in episode 9)

Michael Hill (1-0, defeated Matt Secor by split decision in episode 7)

Cameron Diffley (0-1, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 2)

Colton Smith (1-0, defeated Eddy Ellis by majority decision in episode 6)

Jon Manley (1-0, submitted James Chaney is episode 8)

Nic Herron-Webb (0-1, lost to Igor Araujo by majority decision in episode 5

Joey Rivera (1-0, defeated Sam Alvey by decision in episode 3)

Julian Lane (0-1, lost to Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 4)

A full recap is available at ufc.com.

For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter under our new name @TUFonFX or on Facebook.com/TUG

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over twomillion followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-sellingDVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series including Sons of Anarchy, Justified and American Horror Story, and acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer and Wilfred. Its library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. The network’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a HalfMen and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with college football and the UFC.